Right, so, this has taken a bit longer than I intended. I was actually turning on my laptop way back in November to prepare two chapters, when my computer stopped working. There followed the wonderful, happy time of discovering that it was completely broken and would not be working again, trying to get a new laptop, and the fun fun process of rescuing everything from the old one.
Thankfully, all this was done. It's then taken me a little bit longer to work through the writer's block produced by this inactivity, but here at the end of it all are two brand new chapters. The first is a bit slow, but they're both pretty significant. As you'll see by the end, we're getting towards the important times. I hope you enjoy them, anyway.
Chapter 15
The River Folk
Din's Fire rose above the mountains on the eastern border of Hyrule the next day. The first rays of the golden light reached down to the open space high up on Death Mountain and woke Link.
He roused himself and got to his feet, his mind set on what he had to do. He had spent a long time on Death Mountain, and he was eager to be on the road again. After discussing the home of the zoras with his goron friends the previous day, he knew where he needed to go.
Stretching and folding his blankets, he began to look around for his pack before remembering it was still in Marduk's rooms. He left the blankets where they were and went towards the entrance to the cavernous city. His first thought was to find Darunia and explain he was going to leave. Momentarily, he considered simply going and finding his pack and making his way back down the mountain, but he could not bring himself to leave without saying goodbye to his friends. Marduk and Timbull had been more than kind to him, and he and Darunia had been through a traumatic event together. A bond had been created between them in the mines.
Descending through the city, he noticed that there were very few gorons moving around. The other times he had moved through these tunnels, people had been coming and going at every hour of the day. It seemed the long night had had its effect, though, and most gorons had taken to their rooms to sleep during the day. Link smiled to himself as he considered that it did not matter what time of day they slept as the light never reached into their caverns anyway.
Coming to the deserted Meeting Hall, he passed quickly into Darunia's room. The Big Brother was obviously not letting the night's antics prevent him from his duty, and he was already moving around. Either that or he had not slept at all. There was a definite sleepy quality to his expression.
As soon as he noticed Link, he brightened.
"Good morning, brother!" he beamed. "We missed you as the night wore on."
Link smiled. "I couldn't keep up with you," he replied.
"Well, we celebrated on your behalf. You are firmly established in the hearts of my people, and will always find help from us."
"Thank you for your kindness. It's time I carried on with my journey, though."
At this news, Darunia's face fell. "No, brother! Surely not? You must stay with us for some time yet. How could we allow you to leave after all that has passed?" Link shook his head.
"I must go. I promised Princess Zelda that I would go back to her with the Spiritual Stones."
"Have you recovered, though? Your arm is still bandaged, are you sure you would not prefer to wait another day or two and recuperate?"
"No. My arm is still sore, but it doesn't stop me travelling."
"I can see there is no convincing you. Very well. Your courage will not allow you to wait any longer, but we cannot allow you simply to leave. I insist that some of my people go with you on your journey."
Link shrugged. "I don't mind going alone. Me and Navi have come a long way on our own, I'll be happy to continue."
"No no, I may not be able to convince you to stay, but I will certainly send a contingent of gorons with you. You came to us for the Spiritual Stone we hold, so you will be going to see the zoras next, I fancy? You don't have to do this on your own, and our good friendship with the River Folk may well be a help to you."
Link's first thought was to continue to refuse, not wishing to cause any gorons to have to put themselves out on his behalf, but he hesitated. Navi was remaining silent, not wishing to impose herself upon his decision, but she agreed with Darunia. Having gorons with them might make it easier to convince the zoras to relinquish their Key.
It was sorted out without much further ado, and Link found things taken very much out of his hands. He had barely agreed to have companions on his trip before Darunia was moving around and suggesting numbers and names. Link held onto a streak of stubbornness to insist it would not be a big group, and flatly refused to allow any more than two gorons with him.
Once that had been agreed, there was little question over who the two would be, and Marduk and Timbull were soon preparing for their journey.
Things still went more slowly than Link would have liked. He had hoped to announce his departure and leave early in the morning in order to get down the mountain quickly. His memory of the single night he had spent in Kakariko had not faded; his experience with Tursun and the unnerving moment in the graveyard meant he wanted to pass the village and get a lot further on the first day of the journey.
It was necessary to take enough time for the gorons to get all they would need, though. It was uncertain how long they would be away for. The journey was estimated to take five or six days, plus however long they would be staying with the zoras, and the return journey as well.
The most awkward part of the preparations was having to explain the reason for Link's quest to Marduk and Timbull. Darunia impressed upon them the importance of not allowing it to become public knowledge that the Spiritual Stone of Fire was being removed from Death Mountain. Link also had to explain his need to get the third Stone from the zoras. Timbull reacted with shock, but Marduk looked at Link shrewdly as if the news merely confirmed his own suspicions. Link blushed and looked at the floor, remembering that it was Marduk he had first approached about the Goron's Ruby.
The sun was high above Death Mountain when they eventually emerged, not onto the plateau but back onto the Mountain Trail. The little party were able to get down the Trail in good time: Marduk and Timbull were more than familiar with the descent, and were also able to give a good deal of help to Link. It was much easier than his solo efforts had been when he had first climbed up.
Unwilling to discuss his experiences in Kakariko, Link simply expressed a desire to get a long distance behind them, and so they were quickly on the road and heading towards the Zoran River.
It had quickly become obvious as they planned their journey that it would indeed be helpful to have gorons for company, as they knew the easiest way to get to the Avehn Gorge, where the zoras' domain was located. They struck out south east, and Link was reliably informed that keeping good pace they should reach the town of Latchford on the second or third day out from the mountain. The town straddled the river and had a healthy population of zoras, and a road ran from it, following the course of the river. They would follow this road as far as the town of Cumberlann.
The source of the Zoran River was said to be a magical place, at the end of the Avehn Gorge. It was guarded by the zoras, and it was for this reason that their home had long ago sprung up in the gorge.
The first day went as well as Link could have hoped. They followed the road south east and managed to walk for several hours before the light faded. The sun had set when they stopped in a little village. Link felt exhausted, and his wounded arm was acutely painful. He could not help admitting the wisdom of Darunia's advice to have waited, but he refused to admit it to anyone but Navi. She stayed thankfully silent.
Another advantage of his travelling companions was that they were now able to live on the purse of Goron City, as Darunia had given them a more than generous amount of rupees for the journey. They took a room at an inn, and Link's delight at a soft bed surprised him. The two gorons simply wrapped themselves into balls in a corner and were quickly asleep.
Tired though he was, Link did not sleep immediately. He lay for a while, relishing the soft mattress and blankets. He felt peaceful and contented, glad to be moving again. The longer he had stayed on the mountain the more difficult he had found it. There was too much rock, he disliked having to go underground, and it felt more than alien to a child of the forest.
He mused on what new marvel he would see in the home of the zoras. The cities of the hylians and the caverns of the gorons were far beyond what he could possibly have conceived amongst the trees at home.
When sleep finally claimed him, his mind had drifted back to Hyrule Castle Town, though. A sense of foreboding was steadily growing at the back of his mind, and an urgency to return to Zelda was beginning to grip him. He dreamt that he was walking up the Royal Road, but as he began to climb the hill towards the castle, his limbs became heavy and he could not move properly. When he awoke, the same feeling of unease remained with him.
They began early the next day. Link made further use of the money they had been given to fill his pack properly. They ate a full breakfast at their inn before setting out, but even so Din's Fire had not long been in the sky when they left the village.
It was a pleasant day, and a very different experience for Link. Until now, it had been only him and Navi on their long journey that had brought them so far north. Now, the two gorons made the whole day go much more genially. They talked and laughed between themselves, and also took great delight in telling Link stories about their people. Link found himself enjoying the day more than he had done for a long time.
Even with his companions helping the day to pass, though, Link insisted on a punishing pace. By the time evening was again drawing in, the conversation had dropped to a minimum. Link's legs ached and his arm was again very uncomfortable, but still he insisted on continuing.
The sun had set and the streetlamps were burning brightly when they arrived in Latchford. They quickly found an inn on the river front and took a room. Tired though he was, Link was still awake and alert, and was delighted to see that the inn was run by zoras. Behind the counter stood two of the strange, aquatic people. They were tall, and their skin was white blue. They had no hair, but their bodies appeared somehow streamlined. Link could immediately imagine them scything through the water, making use of the wide, folded fins on their lower arms, looking like featherless wings.
It was an unpleasant night for the kokiri. He dreamt of nothing he could remember but constantly awoke, feeling unnerved and uncomfortable. He could not lie comfortably, and any position he settled in soon made his arm worse. It was not painful but it was discomforting. While the wound had now closed, he still needed to continue to wear the bandage, and Timbull had had to re-wrap it both evenings of their journey.
Unable to sleep, he abandoned his bed an hour before dawn and left the gorons curled and asleep in their room.
He walked to the river bank and sat down to watch the fast flowing water. It was something completely new to him; in the Lost Woods there had been only the little streams and calm pools. The deep, swift waterway was another miracle Hyrule had revealed to him.
Fluttering gently to land on his knee, Navi looked at him with concern. Her small face peered up at him.
"What's wrong, Link? I can feel your unease, but I can't see what's worrying you."
Link sighed "I don't know. It's just a feeling."
There was a pause. "And it worries you?"
He stared into the water, distracted for a moment by the ripples and the ebb of the current as he sought for the words to explain. "It's the same as what I felt before you came to me. That led to the Deku Tree dying. I just feel like we need to move as quickly as possible. We can't afford to lose a minute. I'm scared for the princess."
Navi did not respond. She knew Link did not want to be pressed.
They stayed on the bank until the lightening sky indicated the coming dawn. Link walked quickly back across to the inn to meet the gorons. They were up and shouldering their packs, affected by Link's sense of urgency. He was thankful that they did not press him on why he was so belligerent about their progress.
That day and the next progressed in the same fashion. The more time passed, the more difficult Link found it to engage in conversation with his companions. He was sinking into his own despondency. Every stop was a nuisance and each evening and morning he was filled with such unrest he could barely lie still. He was up and preparing to move by dawn and refused to stop before night had fallen. His small body was constantly exhausted but somehow he could not allow himself to rest.
The road followed the river along its eastern bank, cutting south east through Hyrule's fields. Starting in the Avehn Gorge, the river flowed west before forking. One fork became the Tehnin river and flowed almost directly south before it flowed into Lake Hylia. The other fork continued as the Zoran river and flowed towards Castle Town.
The town of Cumberlann had always been a busy point of trade, thrown up where the river forked. It had also long been a sensible resting place for travellers following the river in any direction. The small party took the road east and carried on past Cumberlann. Before the day had ended, though, the road diverged from the course of the river and turned north. Most travel from this point was made on the river, so there was no road into the gorge.
The kokiri and his two companions left the road and took to the tow path used by the various barges and boats that made their passage on the busy waterway. The cultured hylian lands dropped away and the river ran through woods and copses for a long while, the land unfarmed and untended.
It was a part of the journey that finally eased Link's mind, enjoying the constant gushing of the water and the familiarity of being surrounded by the trees. They camped in a small glade in the woods. After a brief but pleasant meal, Link wandered amongst the trees for a moment of privacy.
Returning, he almost tripped over his companions, seeming to be nothing more than large boulders amongst the trees. The ground was strewn with rocks and stones so it took him some time in the dim light to be certain which were his friends and which really were nothing more than they seemed.
The moment lightened his heart. As he curled himself into his blankets, he felt the ache of homesickness that he had almost forgotten; just for a second, he could almost have believed he was back in the Lost Woods, with Saria lying nearby.
He had hoped that the morning would bring another moment of familiarity with the first rays of the sun reaching between the leaves and boughs of the trees, but it was not to be. He awoke shivering. A mist had arisen, and the air was damp with condensation.
It did not properly rain, but a light drizzle filled the air all morning. The gorons were mostly unaffected, but Link wrapped himself in his cloak and pulled his hood and the cowl of his cloak far over to shield his face.
As the day went on they continued to follow the tow path. The river wound constantly but bore consistently west. During the afternoon, Link became aware that the trees were now higher and higher above him. Pulling back his cloak, he looked up in amazement to see that the wood was clinging to the sides of the gorge.
He had not even noticed as they passed into it. The stone walls now rose up high on either side of them. Trees and plants had taken root to the lower slopes, but the rock face reared high above, with expansive downs invisible above.
As they continued down the gorge, it became narrower and narrower. They passed beyond the woods and Link was aware that his breathing was becoming heavier as the tow path became more difficult. At the edge of his hearing, he could hear a roaring sound, which became louder the further they went.
He was trying to understand what the noise was when they came to a mooring that was evidently the furthest point many boats came to.
The flow of the river was faster and louder than it had previously been. It was roaring down through the gorge at this point as it fell from its source down into the valley, now not far ahead. A small settlement had been placed here to load and unload boats, as it was impossible to go further against the torrent.
Zoras manned the jetties, and they reacted joyfully when they saw two gorons.
"Here are some friends indeed," they called to each other. "What brings two big fellows such as yourselves to the Zoras' Domain?"
"Brothers!" cried Marduk, responding with the same happiness. "We come as an envoy from the Big Brother of the gorons to the Zoran king, and as escort to our sworn brother Link of the kokiri." He indicated their small companion.
The zoras looked at Link. They were such strange creatures, elegant yet intimidating, that he could not help feeling somewhat overawed.
"Of the kokiri?" said one. "He comes to us from the forest? Well, this is fortuitous indeed. The king will most certainly want to know of your arrival, if you bring such a companion." He turned to those near him. "Quick, Eleni. Alert the king that we have honoured guests." The zora he addressed nodded, then turned and dived from the jetty into the fast flowing water. Link's breath caught for a moment, and his sharp eyes could just make out the swimming zora amongst the froth and foam of the river. The ease with which they cut through the water against the current was astounding.
The first zora was addressing the little party again. "We must take a slower path, but Eleni will ensure that you are well received. She will make certain the king is prepared for your arrival."
"Thank you, brother. You are most generous," Marduk grinned.
"Not at all. We could do no less for friends who have travelled so far." He looked at Link. "Especially you, Link of the kokiri. Your presence here is a portent I cannot read, for good or ill." His words were noble and high spoken. Link would have felt even more intimidated had it not been for Navi. The little fey detected a warmth and distinct respect in the zora's speech, and it reassured her. Trusting her judgement, Link followed the zora, who introduced himself as Iokin.
The path continued, but it was now hard to follow. It became slippery with spray from the river, and was rocky and difficult. The roaring was now so loud Link could hear nothing else, when they rounded a bend in the gorge and he saw something that made him halt completely.
The high walls of the gorge had hidden it previously, but a mighty waterfall cascaded down the wall of the ravine, smashing into a deep pool at the bottom of the cliffs. It was an impressive sight on its own, but the years it had fallen onto the rock had worn away the gorge, and left huge natural bridges that spanned the bottom of the canyon.
These pathways were treacherous as they were constantly soaked by the waterfall. Seeming entirely unaware of the danger, Iokin walked out onto the walkway. Link was reassured to see his friends were less confident. Indeed, they looked far unhappier than Link at the prospect of using the walkway.
Catching Link's glance, Marduk grimaced. "We love the zoras dearly, but we do not like the entrance to their home," he muttered uncomfortably.
Moving carefully, Link followed Iokin across the bottom of the ravine towards the waterfall, and reaching the far side of the gorge he clung to the rocks and looked at the way the path continued. He realised that while the waterfall fell from above, the canyon did not actually end. The river also flowed down through a narrow defile into the same pool, coming from two points.
Iokin indicated the flow of the river, disguised by the noise and size of the waterfall. "The river flows down two different paths from its source further up," he shouted over the roar. "Our homes are set in the valley leading up to the source, the Jabun Fountain." Link's eyes followed the rocky path and saw that while it was difficult and treacherous near the waterfall, it led behind it and into a wide cave mouth. The way ahead was clearly much easier going.
He turned back and saw Marduk and Timbull on hands and knees slowly shimmying their way over the stone bridge. Their expressions showed great distaste at their passage. On the other side, the rest of Iokin's zoras were gesturing at them and chuckling. It was clear there was no malice in their honest laughter, though.
Following Iokin, Link entered the cave mouth, which soon opened out again into a wide defile that led steeply upwards. The homes of the zoras were formed out of natural caves along the way. The river was swift and deep still, and they had clearly made a good home for themselves, living off the water.
It stunned Link with its beauty. These were not caves like the Goron City, carved into the brown bedrock of the mountain. The stone of the gorge had been eroded by the water, and the zoras had simply exaggerated that work. It was beautiful, a blue grey complex of shimmering walls and floors. They passed more and more of the aquatic inhabitants of the Domain, and Link could see them swimming in the water, as well. In this setting, he could no longer see them as strange and intimidating, but their grace and elegance was undeniable.
They ascended the sides of the gorge. As it continued, Link noticed that the stone ceiling had given way and the sky was again visible above them. It was purple, streaked with long white streaks of cloud. Link smiled. Another evening was fallen, but he could not help thinking that he was close to his goal, and soon he would be returning to Hyrule Castle.
He was pulled from his thoughts as they turned from the path and entered a cave. Passing through the large opening, he found himself in a large space. A walk way ran to his right, steps cut into it to ease the way. Water flowed from the back of the cave, running through an entrance then swirling into a little pool in the centre of the room, before passing through the cave on Link's left to find its course and run through the whole of the Domain.
Link did not notice any of this in great detail, though. Opposite him, sitting in the water's flow, was a large throne. It was not ornate and grand as the King of Hyrule's had been, but spoke volumes about the people who lived here. It was carved from the same blue grey rock of the Domain and had been made to look like long, curving fish bones formed it.
This was not what caught Link's attention, though. It was the zoran king who sat upon the throne.