Here's the next one. I'll post 21 tomorrow. After that... Well, I won't be on for a while. Anyway, Link and friends take on the next key shrine. Take time to read the author's note at the bottom, it has bits on world building.
20
The Sapphire Shrine. Key Guardian Sapphrchine. Unexpected Ambush.
Princess Letula walked around to the lower part of the ledge and stepped up. Link and Ashlyn did the same, the cool water only a few inches deep. Glurak lifted his robes up before following them down the short path.
Zora's Fountain was filled with clear water. A giant whale-like creature was swimming in it. Paths led off on either side. There were a few caves dotting the far cliff.
''That's Lord Jabu-Jabu, our patron deity. He's very kind and loves visitors,'' Princess Letula said, waving at the enormous being. Jabu-Jabu inclined its great head to her.
Besides Din, Nayru, Farore, Hylia, Ethsis and Sazhmet, there were other gods and goddesses. Several races also worshipped a local guardian. Link knew that the Kokiri, forest spirits in the form of children, worshipped the Great Deku Tree, who protected the forest. Zoras also worshipped water spirits. He wasn't completely sure if any of them were actual gods, though. Of course, he planned on being respectful in case they were.
They walked along the path on the right side, eventually coming to a cave, one that had been made. The entrance was flanked by pillars. The inside was lit by torches.
''Here it is. Don't worry, you won't get too wet. There is water in there, but it's not very deep. The most you'll get wet is your feet, so if you'd like, you can remove your boots. They're wet anyway.''
Link took Princess Letula's suggestion and took his boots off. Ashlyn and Glurak followed suit.
''Good luck. I'll wait for you out here,'' the Zora Princess said. ''Don't get caught off guard. The guardian, Sapphrchine, is fast.''
They entered the Sapphire Shrine.
Risbon bowed his head when he heard the news. Yost had returned and informed him that the executions had gone through.
''We weren't even able to get close. There were soldiers everywhere. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything...''
''You did what you could. If you had attempted a rescue, it would have ended badly. I don't want to lose any of you, too,'' Risbon replied.
Solaris had turned as white as a sheet. ''So Johann is...''
Lux shook his head. ''No. We did not see him there.''
''He's still alive?''
''I assume so,'' Lux answered.
Solaris shifted. ''What about Beppo? He's fourteen...''
Tancred answered her question. ''No. Didn't see any children up on the scaffold, thank the Goddesses.''
Yost sat down next to his brother. ''There is something interesting to report. Princess Zelda herself was there.''
Risbon looked up. ''She was?''
''Yes. There were guards surrounding the platform where she was. But it was definitely her. She looked a bit uncomfortable.''
''Hmm.''
Yost looked around. ''Since Johann and Beppo weren't there, the Princess must have them.''
''That seems to be the case,'' Risbon said. ''It is better than them being dead. Perhaps a bit of Princess Zelda's true self remains...''
Yost nodded. ''I noticed she looked distraught at the executions. She did say that justice was done, but it sounded like she was reading it off a script. She didn't sound like she meant it.''
''It is quite possible. After all, the spell does suppress the person's normal thoughts, but they can come back. Strong enough distress can cause the spell to wear off sooner than it is supposed to,'' Lux informed them.
Risbon turned to the mage. ''That is helpful information. Good work.''
''Thank you. The spell is fairly complex. Whoever is casting it on the Princess must be very skilled at magic.''
Tancred shifted. ''What should we do now?''
Risbon ran a hand through his hair. ''We should go back to headquarters soon. I'm sure Malon is worried. Solaris, would like to come with us?''
The orange haired girl nodded. ''Yes.''
''We'll move out once things calm down.''
A cloaked figure stood on the roof of Hyrule Castle. Something was amiss. He spread out his senses, locking onto Princess Zelda's magical signature. ''The spell has worn off already? It's only been a day. She still has fight in her yet?''
A thought occurred to the figure. ''Hmm. Perhaps it was the executions. Such stress could have easily had an effect. Or perhaps it is her will. No matter, she'll not slip away.''
Someone came up the stairs. Another cloaked figure. ''Master. Link went to Death Mountain and he is now at Zora's Domain.''
''Strange. What would he be doing there? I suppose the spell wearing off has been a good thing. I'll have a look in the Princess's mind.''
He located the Princess's magical signature again, still ever so slightly tainted by his dark magic. He seized control of her body, a decent feat from where he was, and directed her up.
A few minutes later, she walked up the stairs. Her hair was regaining its color. Her eyes had already gone back. They almost seemed to be lit with blue fire as she glared at him. He kept his magical control of her, preventing her from moving.
''Now then. Let's see if the information I need is in your head.'' He walked up to her, looking into her mind with his magic. She tensed, trying to block access. He scanned around, jumbles of her memories and thoughts coming at him. Looking into a person's mind was not as easy as it seemed.
After a moment, he found what he was looking for. ''Ah. I see. He wants the holy sword.'' He turned to the other cloaked person. ''He must not get that sword. I will make you strong.'' He pulled out something metal.
When the ritual had been done, he nodded, satisfied. ''Go and stop him.''
''Of course, Master.'' The other person left, teleporting.
The figure turned back to Princess Zelda. ''And I suppose it's time to put you back under.''
The floor of the hall was rough stone. From up ahead, they could hear the sound of water. The hall opened up into a room. It was well lit by shafts of light coming in from holes carved into the entrance wall. The floor had shifted from the rough stone to gray-blue tile. Water came in from small holes, collecting in shallow grooves and then flowing out.
There was only one doorway leading further in, situated to the north. Link walked through the very shallow water towards it. Glurak, still holding up his robes, followed. Ashlyn grinned as her bare feet went into the water.
''This feels nice.''
''Without the feeling of wet boots, yes it does,'' Glurak responded.
They left the room and went into another hallway. Water ran in two streams, one on each side of the hall. The door at the end was locked. Ashlyn looked around for a lever or switch.
''We need a key,'' Link spoke up, noticing a keyhole.
Ashlyn peered back into the room they had left. ''I'm guessing it's back in there somewhere.'' She went back in, followed by Glurak.
The mage noticed something glinting in one of the water filled grooves. He released his robes and bent down, the hem getting wet. He picked up a small, silver key. Not bothering to pick his robes back up now that the bottom was wet, he walked back into the hall and handed the key to Link.
Link inserted it into the keyhole and turned it, pulling the door open. The room beyond had ankle deep water in places. There were also several Bari, monsters similar to electric jellyfish.
''We should attack from a distance. With water around, getting shocked will be more harmful,'' Glurak suggested.
Ashlyn shrugged. ''That leaves me out. This'll be good practice for your magic, Link.''
Seeing one of the Bari approaching, sparking with electricity, Link flicked his hand. Magical energy flew out and struck the creature. After a few more hits, it fell to the floor.
Glurak aimed at some of the others, felling them easily. Ashlyn waited until one had stopped sparking and struck it with her sword. Together, they killed all of the creatures. The next door opened. Ashlyn washed her sword off in the water.
The third room branched into two paths. One to the left and one to the right. Both of them were open. Link peered into the left doorway, seeing that the hall beyond turned upwards after a bit. He checked the right side, which did the same.
''I think they both lead to the same place eventually.''
''Let's find out,'' said Ashlyn.
Link walked down the right path, his friends following a few steps back. The hall went north for a bit and then left. There was a locked door in the center. A lever was nearby. Seeing no other option, Link pulled it. The door opened.
Inside was a tiled room with a pool in the center. But it was empty. The far door was locked tightly. There were two grooved channels that led to the pool, one on the east side of the room and the other on the western side.
Ashlyn looked around. ''Odd. Shouldn't there be water in that? I think that's how we get the door open.''
''Excellent idea,'' Glurak replied.
Link spotted a chain hanging from the ceiling. He walked over and yanked on it. A hole opened by each channel and water came gushing out. The pool slowly started filling up. When it was mostly full, the door opened.
Once things had settled a bit, Risbon and the others left the Mages' safe house and made their way back to the Amalgam through back alleys and side streets. Thankfully, they didn't run into any trouble on the way.
Yost opened the door to the headquarters and ushered his brother in. The others followed, the door shutting with a bang. Malon, who had stayed to watch the Amalgam, was sitting in the main room.
''I heard what happened. Both at the auction house and today. Do you realize how worried I was?'' she asked.
Risbon smiled. ''Yes. Thank you for watching over the headquarters. Did you stay the night?''
''Yes. I'm certain my father is worried.''
''You didn't have to.''
She shrugged. ''If anything, he'll think I wanted to explore the city. I can tell him I paid to stay in one of the many inns our capital has.''
Tancred nodded. ''Good point. Sounds about right.''
Risbon turned to Solaris. ''You can have one of the empty rooms in our hall. You don't have to stay in a guest room.''
The archer nodded. ''Thank you...''
Tancred showed her what hall their rooms were in. Yost and the others took seats on the couches.
''Who's that?'' Malon asked.
''Solaris. She's from the safe house that was raided.''
Malon nodded solemnly. ''I hope she'll be all right. A lot of people she knew are...''
Tancred came back and sat next to Lux. ''We should send a message to Link and his group. They need to know what happened.''
Risbon sighed. ''And distract them from their quest?''
''They have a right to know. And Link knows what he needs to do. I don't think he'll ride all the way back here.''
Their leader nodded. ''All right.''
Lux stood. ''I can send a message to Glurak with magic.''
''Yes, that's what I thought. A rider is too much of a risk,'' said Risbon.
Tancred turned to Lux. ''Send it in about two hours. Just in case.''
''Right then.''
Link, Ashlyn and Glurak made their way through a few rooms, each filled with aquatic enemies like Bari. They came to a large room with a ledge. A staircase led down. Murals depicting running water decorated the walls. There was a gray statue in the center of the room.
''I'm assuming that's Sapphrchine. I better head down,'' Link said and started down the stairs.
As soon as he reached the bottom, a grate shot up from the floor, barring his friends from going down. The statue flashed blue, taking a step forward, eyes lit with blue energy.
Sapphrchine had a human body and a head that seemed to be a combination of an alligator and a sea serpent. There were blue and gold designs painted on it. A hinge-jointed tail whipped behind it. Unlike the previous guardian, it did have a weapon. A spear was clenched in one stone hand.
It lunged forward with a speed that surprised him. He dove out of the way, catching sight of a blue gem on its back. It swept its spear towards him and once again, he threw himself out of the way. He ran to the back of the room.
An idea came to him. He lingered near the far wall, waiting for the guardian to make a move. Sapphrchine charged at him and at the last moment, he darted to the side. The statue collided with the wall, unable to stop itself in time. Link slashed at the exposed gem, eliciting a screech from the key guardian.
Sapphrchine's tail flicked and slammed into to him, flinging him several feet. He hit the floor hard, rolling a bit before coming to a stop. Link got up, amazed that the stone tail hadn't crushed his chest. The guardian recovered and turned towards him.
He figured that it would not fall for the same trick again, so he needed to come up with something else. It rushed forward, thrusting its spear. He dodged out of the way, only to be clipped when the guardian slashed outward. Link stumbled, ducking away from the weapon narrowly, and ran back to a wall.
He took a second to glance at his arm, where the spearhead had grazed him. His white shirt had been torn a little and the cut was bleeding. Then he was out of time as the guardian charged at him. He jumped sideways, just missing impalement. He took a risk and slashed at the gem. Without even checking to see if it hit, he ran.
Sapphrchine howled and turned around, eyes glowing brighter. Instead of coming towards him, it opened its free hand, sending out a blast of water. Link dodged it, heading towards the left side of the room. The statue chased after him, sending out torrents of water. The floor was starting to get slippery.
Link wondered if perhaps that was what the guardian wanted. It swiped at him with its weapon, forcing him to run across the wet floor. It was moving quickly enough that he couldn't even get behind it, never mind that it kept up its attack. All he could do was run. He ended up near the stairs.
''It's too fast for me to get behind it!'' he shouted up to Ashlyn and Glurak as he jumped onto the stairs.
''Use magical lightning,'' Glurak replied. ''It should be fast enough if you can aim!''
Link went higher. ''Electric magic? Isn't that a bit advanced for me?''
Glurak shook his head. ''It doesn't have to be strong. Just enough to hit the gem.''
''Hmm.'' Link glanced down at the guardian, which was readying an attack. He jumped off the stairs, quickly putting distance between himself and Sapphrchine. He made a sharp gesture with his right hand, pointing at the animated statue's back. Magical electricity crackled to life and shot towards Sapphrchine.
The guardian, aware of what was happening, whirled around and darted to the side with speed that a statue shouldn't have. Link's magic hit the stairs harmlessly. He started to run, the enraged statue following. Well, at least I can cast magical electricity...
Sapphrchine shot out more water, letting the liquid pool on the floor as it tried to hit him. Link ran about the room, dodging the guardian's attacks and trying to get a good aim on it. Since that didn't seem likely, an idea came to him.
Link went back to the stairs and went up, waiting until Sapphrchine had closed the distance. He pointed and sent crackling magic at the water on the floor. The resulting conduction startled the guardian and caused it to fall. Link quickly attacked the gem on its back.
Getting off the stairs, he kept his distance, wondering what it would do. Sapphrchine stood up, staring at him. The guardian pointed and the last door slid open. The grate also slid back into the floor. Ashlyn and Glurak came downstairs.
Link walked into the final room. The key was almost exactly the same as the one he had: gold, a little bigger than his middle finger with a tassel attached to a small chain. The only difference was the tassel's color, which was blue. Link took it and put it in his pouch.
Princess Letula sat by the water, dipping her feet in. She heard something behind her and turned to see three people emerge from the Sapphire Shrine. The Zora royal stood up. ''You have the key?''
Link nodded. ''Yes. Thank you for your help, Princess.''
''You're very welcome.''
They returned to the throne room, where King Cress waved at them. ''I assume you were successful. You're probably heading to the forest next, right?''
''Correct, Your Majesty.''
''There is a town on the way, but if you'd like, you can stay here.''
Ashlyn spoke up. ''That is very kind of you, but we wouldn't want to impose.''
King Cress laughed. ''It's certainly no trouble. But I do understand your urgency. The day is still young, so you can easily make it to the next town. I wish you all luck.''
''Thank you,'' Glurak said.
They left Zora's Domain and retrieved their horses from the nearby cave. Epona whinnied happily upon seeing Link. He stroked her mane before mounting her. As they rode along the river, they began discussing the forest.
''Who will we need to ask to let us in the shrine?'' Ashlyn asked. ''Do the Kokiri even have a leader?''
Glurak shifted. ''They do. But I doubt they'll have the authority... The Kokiri are forest spirits that take the form of human children. While in those forms, they do not age. They also live forever if they are not killed. Since they are created by the forest guardian, the Great Deku tree, we will need to ask his permission.''
''Isn't he a god?''
Link nodded. ''I think so. He's the protector of the forest.''
''Can he die? I've heard he can.''
Glurak, ever knowledgeable, answered her question. ''Yes, he can die. But he will be revived later as a new tree. It's not complete immortality as we'd think, but he is still a god. Jabu-Jabu can do the same thing.''
They came to Hyrule Field and stopped, looking around. Stopping at the town was necessary, getting to the forest by nightfall at the current time would be impossible.
''So the town is called Oakcrest,'' Ashlyn said, looking at a map she brought.
Glurak steered his horse closer and peered at it. ''According to the map, it's only about two miles from here.''
''Hmm. Well, we'll see how accurate the map is,'' said Link.
Ashlyn gave an amused laugh. ''That we will.''
Before they could set off, there was a flash that startled their horses. A strange mist appeared. Link and his friends cautiously dismounted their steeds after calming them.
''I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere,'' a voice said.
Link unsheathed his sword at the same time Ashlyn did. Glurak held out his hands, letting magic flow to them. Out of the light mist came a person in black robes. Their hood was up.
''Who are you?''
The person came closer. ''That's not really something you need to know. I am here to kill you, after all.'' They brought up a hand and made a forceful gesture.
Link leaped out of the way as a burst of black energy came at him. The burst faded after a bit when it hit nothing. Ashlyn pointed her sword at the robed figure.
''That's dark magic,'' Glurak observed with a frown.
Dark magic was illegal in Hyrule. It did all manner of things, most of them used for ill purposes. Those who studied it were said to be corrupted by it over time. Many dark mages did disturbing things like reanimating corpses and blood rituals. There was a reason why it was illegal.
Glurak shot out fire from his hands. The dark mage made a swiping gesture, redirecting the magical flames with his own magic. Ashlyn went over to support Glurak as the two mages went at it. Flashes of red, pale green and black lit up the area.
''I don't have time for this,'' the dark mage sighed. With a swish of robes, he turned away and targeted Link.
Link avoided the bursts of dark magic and rushed up to the mage. He was rather put out that someone wanted to kill him. Though he really didn't want to, he thrust his sword forward, stabbing the dark mage in the chest.
The robed man gave a short cry, looking down. He didn't seem at all bothered. There was a hole through his clothes, and blood seemed to be coming out, but the mage didn't fall dead. ''Hmm.'' He sounded disinterested.
Link pulled the sword out, unnerved. ''What...?''
Ashlyn walked up warily, quickly slashing at the mage. Again, it didn't seem to faze him at all. ''What the hell?''
Glurak frowned. While Link and Ashlyn fought the man, who had resumed his attack, he walked towards the rocks near the river mouth. There was something he needed to check.
Ashlyn ducked away from a blast of magic, keeping her sword at the ready. ''Just who is this? He should be dead!''
Link had to agree with her. He had stabbed the man directly in the heart, by all means a fatal blow. So why was he still trying to kill him?
He stabbed the man again, the force causing the mage's hood to fall, revealing his face. He shoved Link back with an unseen force. He spread his hands, gathering energy.
''Link! Here!'' Glurak reappeared, holding a metallic object. He threw it to the blond.
Link caught the object, wincing. It was a metal box. But something was off about it. Just holding it made him feel ill. The dark mage stopped in his tracks, eyes wide with what could only be described as terror. Unsure of what was going on, Link pointed his sword at the box.
''No! Don't!'' the dark mage cried out, sounding rather strained.
''What is this?'' Link asked, tempted to drop it due to the discomfort it was causing him.
Glurak walked up, staring at the box. ''That is the reason why your attacks do nothing to him. His life force is tied to it.''
''You mean his soul is in there?'' Ashlyn asked.
''No. His life is bound to it. As long as it remains intact, he can not fall to any wounds. The box itself is coated with dark enchantments, giving some protection to it. This is very dark magic, requiring a ritual.''
The dark mage shifted. Glurak stared at him. ''Did you do this?''
''No, my master did. He wanted me to kill him,'' the dark mage said, pointing at Link. ''He knew you'd be a problem, so he performed the ritual on me.''
Link took a breath. ''I'm assuming your master is the one placing spells on the Princess?''
''Yes... Please don't do anything to the box! I didn't want my life force tied to the thing anyway! Surviving mortal wounds sounds great, but I have to carry it around and hope nothing happens to it.''
Ashlyn stepped forward. ''Tell us who you work for.''
''I can't do that. He'll kill me. Then again, since Link's not dead, he might do that anyway. I'd rather not go back to the castle to report to him. I wasn't actually planning on killing any of you. A few attacks here and I'd lie about your death...''
Link observed the mage. Really, he seemed to be more of a boy than an adult. He had rust red eyes and an almost delicate appearance. He seemed very fragile. Whether that was because he was sickly or because of the dark magic was unknown. His hair was black, but had patches of dark gold. Link had never seen hair like that and had no idea whether it was natural or not.
''What's your name?''
''Mazin,'' the mage replied.
''Are you Sheikah?''
Mazin shook his head. ''No. I had a Sheikah family member a few generations back. But I don't have enough now to even be considered half blood. All I have is the eye color, and it's a rusty red instead of pure.''
''We're also being chased by the Sheikah, so...'' Ashlyn said.
''I've heard.''
As they stood wondering what to do next, Glurak shifted. ''Link. Ashlyn. I've just received an urgent telepathic message from Lux.''
So a few things: The various human races of Zelda (Hylians, Sheikah, Gerudo, regular) can and do get married and have bi-racial children sometimes. It isn't illegal or anything. The races do tend to marry their own, though, so half bloods aren't super common. Not rare, but not everywhere either. Mazin doesn't count as bi-racial, since his Sheikah family member was a few generations back and he looks Hylian except for the eyes. Sometimes they're on the receiving end of racism but not often. The people of Hyrule generally don't care. The Gerudo don't really care either (if you're strong enough to live in the desert, you're cool to them).
We also finally get to see the person putting the spell on Princess Zelda (kind of). More will be revealed on him later. Stress and emotional turmoil can cause the spell to wear off faster, which happened to Zelda after she executed the members of the Southgate safe house, which obviously she didn't want to do.