And Wombat said thusly, "There shall be no giant fish, it's just a big pain," and it was so.

Chapter 16

The Zoran Princess

He was not what Link had expected. Darunia had seemed to be the epitome of his people: he was large, strong, and immovable, but barring their first meeting he was also good humoured. The zoras were tall, thin, elegant beings, the way they cut through the water was stunning and impressive. They were also noble, and stern.

Their king, though, was enormous. He was as wide as at least three other zoras, but a good head shorter than them. He seemed not so much to be sitting on the throne as steadily over flowing from it, as folds of silvery fat spilled over the edges of the ornate chair. Link had seen zoras swimming in the river, impressed by the ease with which they moved, but he could not imagine their king swimming so efficiently against the current.

Several zoras stood near the throne, including two guards with long wooden spears. They looked particularly formidable. Amongst the king's entourage, Link also recognised Eleni, whom Iokin had sent to tell the king they were coming. Looking at those standing near her, Link started to recognise which were male and female. The males looked stern and powerful, while the females were slighter and their faces were more graceful. Also, while they all had blue and white skin, the females had more green, as well.

Eleni moved towards the throne. "These are the guests who have come so far to join us," she said to the king.

Iokin stepped forward. "They have indeed come far. May I introduce Marduk and Timbull of the gorons, who have travelled from Death Mountain at the behest of their Big Brother, Darunia, well loved by all the zoras. They have brought with them a visitor who will be shown no small honour amongst our people: Link of the kokiri, who comes to us from under the eaves of the Lost Woods, and has endured many long miles to be with us."

It did not take long for Link to realise this was the way the zoras spoke most of the time. They were very long winded and verbose. The king questioned Link about his travels and his reasons for visiting. Link felt foolish with his mainly monosyllabic answers, but he was entirely unable to match the verbal dexterity of the zoras.

"If you have come from the forest, how is that you first traversed the Death Mountain Trail before visiting our Domain?" asked the king.

"I travelled first to Hyrule Castle Town," replied Link.

"Oh, and did you seek audience with our ally the king of Hyrule?"

"No." Link decided his encounter with Zelda was best left unmentioned.

"So from thence you visited our rocky brethren in their caverns?"

"Yes. Well, I mean, I went to Death Mountain." He was not totally certain if that answered the king's question or not. The fat zora smiled genially.

"Well, I am glad you have now visited us also. You have been to the capital of the hylians, the gorons and the zoras, and I imagine you have also seen Kakariko Village, home of the sheikah?"

"Yes, I have been to Kakariko, though I did not meet any sheikah." Link fell silent as he remembered the graveyard, and a figure disappearing behind a pillar.

"No, they are not natural hosts, the Shadow Folk. Will you continue your journey, and go to the home of the gerudo, also?"

This was not a question Link was prepared for. He had not even considered visiting the desert, and as Ganondorf filled his mind he found an adamant determination not to go there now.

"I had not planned to," he stuttered, not wishing to seem to ungracious.

The river folk were as good as their word and treated their guests most hospitably. After they had conversed with the king, they were led to a long room, the rock ceiling supported by expertly formed pillars, shaped with fins and scales. In the centre of the room was a large table set for many people to eat a good sized meal.

The food was excellent, a feast of many varieties of fish prepared by their hosts. There were cold meats, raw sushi, various sauces and a host of appetisers and sides as well as the main fish courses. It immediately lodged itself in Link's memory as one of the most impressive meals he had ever eaten.

During the feast, Link found himself sat next to a young zora. Her blue-green skin marked her as female, and she spoke with a confidence and assurance that Link quickly realised meant she was used to being listened to.

She seemed enthralled with Link, and took great pleasure in ordering him around. She spent much of the evening commanding him to pass her things she had no interest in eating and taking things straight from his own plate. He could feel Navi's bristling indignation, but for himself he did not mind her behaviour as there was clearly no malice behind it. It amused him.

"You will spend tomorrow with me," she commanded, towards the end of the evening. "You don't need to stay while my father talks with the gorons. I will show you more of our home."

Link smiled. It was a kindle offer, if poorly articulated. It was obvious she wanted him to spend time with her but could think of no way of doing so other than ordering him. He was not certain it was a wonderful idea, since while he did not begrudge her behaviour at dinner, he was not sure he wanted to put up with it for a whole day.

His suspicions about the girl were confirmed after the banquet when he, Marduk and Timbull had been shown to the room where they would be sleeping. He asked about her, seating himself on the edge of the little pallet that had been made up for him.

The gorons exchanged a knowing look. "That is the zoran princess, the daughter of the king," answered Marduk. "Her name is Ruto. She is the apple of her father's eye, a complete tomboy, and very fond of telling others what to do."

"Yes, I certainly noticed that," said Navi. Link smiled.

"She is also quite clearly taken with you," said Timbull. He moved over to the pallet and began re-wrapping the bandage on Link's arm. "I think she enjoyed bossing around someone from the forest. Since she was a child, she has loved stories of the Lost Woods."

"Really?" asked Link.

"That's hardly unusual," replied Marduk. "Children of all the races of Hyrule are intrigued by the mysteries of the forest, and all have played at being kokiri at some time."

This was news to Link, but as he thought about it he considered that Malon's and Zelda's reactions to meeting him bore out Marduk's words.

His work finished, Timbull stood and moved away from the kokiri. Link thanked him and turned back to Marduk. "Either way," he said, "I can't spend tomorrow with her. I want to talk to the king about the Spiritual Stone of Water."

Marduk's brow furrowed. "Convincing the zoras to relinquish their treasure will not happen quickly, Link. You see how long it takes them simply to greet friends. We may have to be quite patient."

This was not what Link wanted to hear, and he felt the urgent desire to return to Castle Town rising again.

"In fact," Marduk continued thoughtfully, "It might not be a bad idea for you to spend some time with Ruto. We can begin pleasantries with the king, and you can mention the Spiritual Stone to his daughter. Everyone knows how he dotes on her, so having her on our side might go a long way to convincing him to give it to us."

Unconvinced by the idea, Link wrapped himself in his blankets and lay down to sleep. He was tired after the journey from Death Mountain, and it did not take long for him to fall asleep, concerned though he was about the Spiritual Stone and further delays.

He awoke in the morning to find Ruto stood over him, shaking him. He blinked at her.

"You finally woke up!" she huffed, clearly exasperated. Link felt a shiver of amusement from Navi.

Sitting up, he saw that Marduk and Timbull were still curled and sleeping on the floor. Ruto turned her head to follow his gaze.

"Oh, don't worry about them," she said. "All gorons are heavy sleepers. They won't wake for a while yet. Come with me."

She turned on her heel and moved towards the entrance of the cave. By the time Link had stood up, she had already passed over the threshold. Casting around quickly, he pulled on his tunic and boots, grabbed his hood, and followed her out.

It was very quickly obvious that Ruto was entirely different without the adult zoras nearby. She was still commanding, but she was no long behaving rudely or unpleasantly as she had at the meal the previous evening. As Link cast his mind back, he considered that the zoras had been eager to please their princess, and she had clearly been showing off in order to receive more attention from her elders.

While he could not honestly say he disliked her, Link found himself becoming more irritated with this behaviour in hindsight, and with the zoras for encouraging it. She was much more sensible in the daylight, but he still found it difficult not to think of her as just a silly little girl.

Ruto led Link higher up the side of the valley, passed the place where they had dined and passed the throne room. As they walked and climbed up the difficult track, she talked incessantly. Link enjoyed listening to her as she told him about life in Zora's Domain. She also told him her favourite myths about the forest. He was amused to hear her ideas about his home, though they were often a long way from the truth.

After a short while, they came to a path that led along a swift stream on one side and the drop into the gorge on the other. Looking around at his surroundings, Link could see that the stream clearly ran its course at the top of the gorge before eventually running out of space and cascading down the waterfall. He could see it widening and quickening in its course, almost visibly bunching up in preparation to burst over the top of the gorge. Ahead, he could see a high, wide cave entrance. Water flowed from the cave mouth, splitting into two courses as one formed the stream and the other trickled down into the gorge to form the main river.

They entered the cave, and Link had to pause for a moment to look at the unique sight it held. Water poured from a spring at the back of the cave and formed a wide, deep pool in the centre of the cave. It was a powerful jet of water from the fissure. The incessant flow of water meant this pool overflowed out of the cave mouth to take its course into the rest of Hyrule.

Link had been told about the Jabun Fountain by his companions, but seeing it was more impressive than having it described. The cave echoed with the trickle and splash of the spring, and the cave was filled with a constantly shifting blue light, the reflection off the surface of the water. The zoras had clearly shaped the space as well, and there was evidence that stone had been worked. Some areas of the walls were tiled, leading to the back of the cave.

"This is my favourite place to come," said Ruto. "Sometimes it is annoying to be a princess, and no one looks for me here. Behind the fountain, there is a tunnel, leading into the rock. The tunnels lead into a network that runs all the way along the gorge and the river."

Impressed by what he had already seen, Link followed her as she led past the fountain. She dropped into the water, waded across a rivulet near the spring, and slipped through a narrow space, suddenly disappearing into an almost hidden tunnel.

It was slightly more awkward for Link, who was reluctant to soak himself in the water. Holding firmly to the rocks, he hoisted himself over the rivulet, and dropped through the opening. He landed in shallow water and splashed to a walkway next to Ruto.

The space was not large, and an adult would probably have had to bend down, but there was enough space for the two children. This had also been worked by the zoras, and there was plenty of evidence of their handiwork. They had widened the tunnel and made it easier to move. Link could not believe this tunnel was here.

"Where does the water go?" he asked.

Ruto looked at the small stream he was indicating. "It follows the same course as the Tehnan river and eventually reaches Lake Hylia. It never comes above ground before that point, though. Our people sometimes travel this way, since they can keep to the water. It would be very difficult for someone who is not a zora to do that, though, since it isn't possible to stay out of the water."

They followed the tunnel a little way until it opened out into a wider space. The water filled another smaller pool, swirling and eddying before it made its way through an opening on the far side. Now Link stopped and stared openly, though, because above the opening, something had been set into the rock.

Looking at it, Link knew beyond doubt what it was. It was three sapphires, set in a three pronged frame of gold. It could only be the Spiritual Stone of Water.

Seeing his astonishment, Ruto giggled. "That's the Zora's Sapphire. It was my mother who first showed it to me."

"I didn't come to Zora's Domain to visit the zoran king," said Link. Seeing the thing he was looking for brought back all his trepidation, and his urgency to return to Castle Town made him throw caution to the wind. "I was sent here by the Princess Zelda with the express intention of finding that stone and taking it back to Castle Town."

A flicker of anger passed over Ruto's face. "What do you mean, Princess Zelda? When have you spoken with Princess Zelda?"

"I met her when I travelled to Castle Town. I was sent from the forest to stop a great threat to Hyrule. Zelda agreed about that threat and told me to collect the Spiritual Stones in order to prevent any tragedy befalling this land. I already have the Kokiri's Emerald and the Goron's Ruby, and I must take the Zora's Sapphire as well."

"You came here because of another girl? Even if it's the princess of Hyrule, why should I help you with this?"

This confused Link greatly. What did it matter that it was a girl who had sent him? The important thing was the Spiritual Stone, not Zelda.

Ruto gave him a speculative look. "Very well, I might consider letting you take it. But you would have to do something for me."

Link frowned. There was something in her tone that he did not trust.

"You must promise that you will return here and spend longer with me. In fact, you must promise you will spend a very long time here."

This made Link hesitate. It seemed as if this had been prompted by his mention of Zelda, and he did not like what Ruto seemed to be suggesting. His desire to carry on with his journey was too strong, though. He had enjoyed seeing Avehn Gorge and Zora's Domain, and would certainly like to come back when he had more time to do so and was not so eager to leave. Ruto had not specified how long he had to stay, and she had not asked any more of him, no matter how heavy the implication was.

"Okay. I will come back and see you again," he said. Ruto smiled, and it was somewhere between relieved and threatening. She did not say any more, though, but jumped into the pool, swam easily across the difficult current, and reached up to where the Stone was set. It took her a moment to work with it and prise it out, but it soon came loose and she quickly swam back to where Link was waiting.

Feeling the enormity of the moment, Link reverently took the Stone from her hands. He took a moment to hold it and watch the way the light played over the surface of the blue stones. It was quite beautiful, and Link noticed how it really did match the spirits of its guardians.

Carefully, he slid it into the pouch at his side, so it sat with the other two Stones. Finally, he had gathered all three.

It did not take them long to climb back out to the Jabun Fountain, and then they steadily descended back along the wall of the gorge the way they had earlier come. Link was mostly silent, once more consumed with his thoughts about Zelda and his quest. Ruto, he noticed, kept looking at him appraisingly. He did not take a great deal of time worrying over this, though.

They joined the zoras and their goron guests as they were going to lunch. While they ate, Marduk and Timbull talked about their morning, explaining that they had exchanged news of significance between their two peoples.

When they had eaten, Link quietly asked for a private moment between the three of them.

"What is it, brother?" asked Marduk, seeing the urgency in Link's expression. Link shook his head.

"I'll explain when there's no one around."

Excusing themselves, the three moved into an antechamber. Quickly, Link explained that he had the Spiritual Stone. The gorons shock at this was impressive; they had not expected to even be able to mention the Spiritual Stone until the following day.

"I want to go back to Castle Town as soon as possible," said Link. He could see that this came as quite a blow to his companions.

"I cannot say that is not unsurprising, though I will be sad to see you leave," said Marduk, evenly. "We were aware you were eager to get back, especially once you had the Zora's Sapphire. I would still counsel some patience, though. You will not be able to get far today, and it would be rude to simply walk out on the zoras. If you stay and speak with the king and his people this afternoon, then they will be more than happy to help you on your way quickly."

"Then I will have to leave tomorrow." Link knew he was being blunt, but simply could not bring himself to cope with any further delays.

"We must speak with the king, then. Come we must go to the throne room, now."

It was with some trepidation that Link followed them when they came to speak to the king, as he could see that after the reception the zoras had given him, they would not expect him to leave so quickly. Nonetheless, he was determined, and knew in his heart that he simply could not leave his departure any later.

It quickly became obvious that most of the work had been done for him, though. Ruto stood beside her father's throne, and had clearly spoken with him already. While he was not happy that Link was going, he was looking forward to Link's return, and understood his need to carry on with his journey. As Link listened to the king's words, he formed a shrewd idea that the king did not run as much of his Domain as he probably thought. Ruto stood beside him on one side and Iokin on another, and it was clear that their influence on the king's decisions was extensive. Link smiled inwardly, for he was convinced that no one could have swayed Darunia in the same way.

"Your arrival here can be no coincidence," said Iokin towards the end of the afternoon. "I feel certain that you are on some great journey, which we know very little about. Perhaps a time will come when more will be revealed. For the moment, we must simply accept that you know what you are doing."

"I agree with your words," said Marduk. "We saw from his deeds on our mountain that Link is not short of courage, and I am also certain that he has much to give this land, though what that will entail I could not guess."

Link thanked them for their kind words and their hospitality. He also gratefully accepted their offer to help him on his journey first thing in the morning. Marduk and Timbull had already volunteered to remain with the zoras for a longer period before returning directly to Death Mountain. Initially, Iokin offered to come with Link, but he declined the offer. He felt it was better for he and Navi to carry on as their journey had started, with just the two of them.

The rest of the afternoon was given over to finalising the arrangements for his journey and teaching him to use one of the little kayaks the zoras used for travelling up and down the river.

It was agreed that Link would take one of these and travel north west towards Castle Town for several days, before he reached a town with a large zoran population. He was given a letter from Iokin explaining his journey, so he could leave the boat there in order for it to be returned.

These details sorted, Link went to bed more than ready to finish his journey. His thoughts constantly ran over his return to Castle Town, what would happen with Zelda, and what he would do once they had prevented Ganondorf from seizing the Triforce. He tried to consider whether or not he could return to the forest, and if not where he would go. Navi said nothing, but he could feel her homesickness and knew she, too, was considering the end of their journey and what they would then do. She was hoping with all her tiny being that they would be able to return to the Lost Woods.

All the time, though, thoughts of Zelda crept in, and he knew before he could consider what would happen after they had returned to Castle Town, he would first have to see her and ensure that Ganondorf was stopped. Eventually, Link drifted to sleep, and was freed from all his worries.