A/N: Thans to alwaysingirl, RoseWing, and (NEW REVIEWER!) midnafan123456789 for their reviews!

In response to midnafan, yes I think the chapters could be longer too, but sometimes I draw a blank when writing, so I just post the chapter and think afterwards about what to write. Also, there has a been debate as to whether Sheik is male or female. But, since I think she's a female, and that she has been so for the entire story, Sheik will be female for the rest of the story.

Also, sorry for not updating for a while, so I'll TRY to make the chapter quite long.

Chapter 17 - Heat

Delving even deeper into Death Mountain, Zelda was slapping herself for not bringing anything to drink. Sure, she had potions, but she wanted to save those for fights. Plus, they wouldn't be very thirst quenching either.

Wiping her brow for the umpteenth time, she jumped over a large gap, keeping a wary eye on any lava spurts. She could've sworn that whenever she jumped over, the heat intensified greatly. When she reached the next cliff, she bent her knees to lessen the impact, tucking and rolling for extra distance. As she stood, she wiped her brow again. Maybe it was the bandages on her head, or the scarf covering her mouth. She wasn't taking either off though.

As she ran a bit further, she came across a different entrance. This must have been the way through from Goron City. She ignored it and turned right, to come face to face with a broken bridge. The first half was completely gone, and a bit further down there was a plank of wood jutting out from the rock face. The rest of the bridge was still intact on the other side. Zelda breathed out heavily, walking backwards from the bridge. When she reached the wall, she breathed out again, and pushed herself off, going for a full sprint. As soon as she reached the point where the bridge ended, she jumped.

It felt like ages. Again, she could feel the heat intensify as she leaped over, arms outstretched. If she didn't time this right, she was gone. No question. And it wouldn't exactly be a quick death either. Thankfully, the leap went quite far. She grabbed the plank that was jutting out and used it to vault to the other side. As she landed, she bent her knees and fell forward, lessening the damage to her legs. Unfortunately, this side of the bridge was also pretty weak. Probably because of the constant heat emanating from underneath.

She quickly scrabbled to the ground ahead, making sure not to make the bridge collapse. Luckily, it didn't. Now looking ahead, she could see another Triforce crest, with marking on it. However, unlike the forest, these markings were red rather than green.

Now, all she had to do was wait. It wasn't long before she heard a noise from the bridge area. She saw Link, swinging gracefully over the gap using his Hookshot, and running across the bridge. Zelda winced as it creaked underneath his heavy boots. It could break at any second, but it didn't, and he made it across to where she was.

'Hello Link,' she greeted him as he walked up to her. He was wearing a red tunic instead of his usual green. Probably to withstand this heat like her, she thought.

'It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go... This song is dedicated to the power of the heart. Listen to the Bolero of Fire...'

She brought ot her harp again, and played the cheery tune, remembering and playing it flawlessly. Again, the area became shrouded in a bright red as she played. When she finished, it returned to its original red. Red, albeit not as bright.

As if on cue, Link took out his Ocarina, and played the Bolero of Fire. Again, he picked it up straight off. Quite a feat. From the looks of the instrument, it looked a lot harder to play than her little harp. Again, the bright red fell upon them both, pulsing with the notes. Link finished, and the room returned to normal.

'Link... I'll see you again...'

'Hey, wait...' Link began, trying to walk up to her. Zelda panicked and threw down an Ember seed, which is used to start fires for cooking and such. It hit the ground and immediately burst into flames, creating a large wall of fire. Link just looked on, shocked. She then threw down a Deku nut, and scrambled up the cliff face out of sight. She could see Link, clearly puzzled, looking around, trying to find any sign of her. After a few minutes, he shrugged nonchalantly and ran into the Fire Temple.

Zelda smiled, glad to have that over and done with. Suddenly, the 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling happened again. She just sighed and lay on the ground, waiting to fall asleep.

XxX

Again, she awakened in the Sacred Realm. The first thing she saw was Rauru, but then she noticed another figure beside him, standing on the green pedestal.

'Hello, Zelda!' he laughed cheerily.

'Hello, Rauru,' she replied, not taking her eyes of the Kokiri girl.

He laughed again, and held out his hand to the person.

'Zelda, I believe you and Saria haven't met yet. Zelda, Saria. Saria, Zelda.'

The child smiled up at her.

'Hello! I'm Saria, the Sage of the Forest. A pleasure to meet you!'

'Pleasure's all mine,' Zelda mumbled.

'Okay, Zelda,' Rauru said, 'As directed, you have taught Link the Bolero of Fire. There are two things I must now tell you. Listen closely.'

Zelda nodded and leaned forward. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Saria lean forward too.

'Firstly, you must learn a new song. This song which is the embodiment of water, is what you must teach Link next. This is the Serenade of Water.'

He took out his harp, and played the simple five note melody. As he played, the room became covered in blue hues, pulsing with every beat. He finished with another beautiful glissando of notes.

Zelda took out her harp as he finished, and played the simple melody. Memorising it clearly, she put it back into her bag.

'Fantastic! Oh, you two are excellent!' Saria shouted as Zelda finished. Zelda smiled at the child's enthusiasm.

'Thank you, Saria,' Rauru smiled at the child, 'Now, for the nxt I must tell you.

'The next sage cannot meet Link unless you save her first.'

'What do you mean, save her? And who is she?' Zelda asked.

'It is Ruto, the princess of the Zoras. She is the next Sage which Link must awaken: the Sage of Water. However, at the time being, she is trapped under the ice at Zora's Domain.'

'But that's impossible. People have said that she is lost, yes, but not under the ice,' Zelda interrupted.

'Yes. However, those sayings are not true. She is still alive, although due to the freezing temperatures, she may not last very long. That's why you must go to Zora's Domain and free her.'

'I see.'

'Well, now that you know of the Serenade of Water, and your next objective, it's time to go.'

'Thank you, Rauru.'

The 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling happened again, and Zelda fell to the ground. She could see Saria go forward, but as she closed her eyes, she saw Rauru hold her back.

XxX

She awoke in Hyrule Field, at the entrance of Kakariko. She silently thanked Rauru for letting her bypass the village altogether. It was beginning to fade into morning, and Daisy would be getting up right about now.

Now all she had to do was get to Zora's Domain and save Ruto. But first things first, she ran up to the Zora's River and dove in into it, sighing in bliss as steam flew off her body. She wished she could lie in the water the rest of her life. But she needed to get going. Jumping out of the water, she began to sprint down next to the river's edge.

Hopefully she'd get to Ruto before she froze to death.

A/N: There you go midnafan123456789! Hope you like! Review!