Disclaimer:
I do not own Ocarina of Time nor any part of the Zelda franchise.
All rights go to their respective owners.
This story is a work of fiction and corresponds to the story line, but does not follow it exactly.
This chapter is rated: K
A/N:
Thank you everyone who reviewed! Check the A/N at the bottom for questions to be answered.
Chapter 5: Zora Domain
Link stopped at a small field beside the river and bedded down into the warm grasses. He was exhausted and felt like he would be able to sleep for years. Strangely enough, there was a stray Cuckoo roaming around near him pecking at insects. Link decided if a Cuckoo could roam freely here then it was as safe a place as any to rest. The boy slept soundly without a dream good or bad. Navi watched over him; Link's body was as still as a statue.
Link woke at dawn to the Cuckoo sitting on his chest saying its morning greetings to the rising sun. He was not nearly as impressed as the Cuckoo seemed to be. Link shoved the bird off him and, though he was normally very kind to animals, snatched up stones and hurled them at it. The Cuckoo flapped around in a panic screetching its head off. Link pulled his hat over his ears and scowled. Was the world so cruel to its hero that he couldn't get one nights rest?! Link grabbed the squawking bird, crying out in pain every time it pecked him or scratched with its small talons, and dumped it into the nearby river. He watched in satisfaction as the drenched animal disappeared downstream with the current. Link walked further upstream, fully awake now, and found a man sitting with his back against a fencepost munching on something he was pulling out of a small sack. "How 'bout some magic beans, kid? They aren't selling very well…" The man held his bag out towards Link. Link tilted his head, wary of accepting something called "magic beans" from a stranger, although the man eating them seemed to be fine…
Link handed the man a blue rupee and he gave Link a pod in return. The beans inside were tricoloured and very strange indeed. Link gave the man an awkward smile as the elder waved and thanked him. Link followed the river upstream, avoiding Octoroks who spouted up from the river itself and Tektites skimming its surface. He was drenched and shivering from the cold water by the time he reached a roaring waterfall. Link was confused; how was he to reach the Zora's domain if the path led to a dead end? He saw the faint outline of stone beneath his feet and dropped to his knees removing the moss grown over the stone. Engraved upon it was a holy triforce, the symbol of the royal family. Link stood and reached for his ocarina, then he gently played Zelda's lullaby. To his surprise, the waterfall gave a mighty rumble, then the water split down the middle. Link could now see a carved path in the solid earth. He took a few steps back, then leapt across. The stone was slippery and Link nearly missed the alcove all together. He managed to grab the damp soil and heaved himself up-now the front of his tunic was smeared in mud. Link traveled down the narrow path, curious as to what he might find.
The path opened into an enormous underground cavern with a waterfall and crystal clear lake. Link awed at the beautiful sight, running his fingertips over a stalagmite jutting from the floor of the walkway he was on. He barely spotted the shimmering fish-people of this region gliding gracefully through the water. Link sat with his legs swung over a lower portion of the walkway and let his toes graze the water. He'd bathed quickly at the fountain on Death Mountain, but he felt grimey coated with mud. Link pulled off his tunic and was about to slip into the water when something snatched his ankles and pulled him in. Link stared at a mischievous Zora laughing at him underwater. The boy surfaced to breathe, but he grinned and dove back down in an attempt to catch the creature.
Of course it was far too fast for him and had the advantage of breathing underwater. Link's lungs could only survive so long before he had to burst up at the surface for breath. The Zora flicked its tail on the back of its head and swam towards the pouring waterfall, then Link watched in awe as it shimmied up the water easily. He crawled back onto the walkway and hurried to the top of the waterfall, but the Zora had beaten him. He smirked and dropped some rupees on the bottom of the waterfall, then gave Link a challenging look. The boy understood without a word; he wanted Link to gather up the rupees. Fearlessly Link bolted over the side of the waterfall and tried to make his body stiff so he would dive in, but he landed on his stomach instead. Link could hear the Zora's watery laughter over the gurgle of the waterfall. He got over his shock and rounded up the rupees as fast as he could. Link hadn't even seen the Zora skim down the waterfall, but he was suddenly beside Link.
Link swam to a little island inside the lake and heaved himself out to lay on it. The water was cool, but he didn't feel chilled. The Zora popped up its head and stared at Link with its dark eyes questioningly.
"I'm tired." He said gently. "Thanks for playing with me, though."
"Hylians rarely visit here." The Zora replied. Link was surprised the thing could speak his tongue, but he didn't voice this. The Zora launched out of the water and sat beside Link, revealing its true form to him. In the water, Zora seemed to meld into the blue. They were graceful creatures, well adapted for their watery home. Link found their sleek bodies adorned with large fins on their forearms and hips charming. Extending from the backs of their heads was a finned tail. "Why have you come?" The Zora asked him. "I need to speak to your leader about the Zora's Sapphire; I am on a quest for Princess Zelda."
The Zora tilted its head slightly at the young Hylian.
"Us Zora have our own monarchy we follow, though we are allies of the Hylian King. Our King is troubled since his daughter has gone missing. Princess Ruto was offering a penance to our guardian deity, Lord Jabu Jabu, and never returned. We have searched everywhere for her, even going so far as Lake Hylia." "That's terrible." Link frowned. "Our King might be willing to speak to you if aid us in our search." The Zora pointed to an underwater alcove at the bottom of the lake. "The other side is Lake Hylia. Help me search there, please, young Hylian."
"My name is Link. I'll aid you." The boy dove back into the water and swam to the walkway, pulling his soiled tunic back on. The Zora stopped him before he went back inside the water. "Link, us Zora survive in only the purest of water. Please remove your soiled tunic."
"I-I have no other clothes." Link frowned slightly, uncomfortable leaving the underground cavern in only his wrappings. "We care not to see your nakedness." The Zora shrugged. "We wear no clothing either." Link peeled off his tunic once more and tightened his wrappings before he slipped into the water once more.
"Oh, Link, you have earned this for your foolhardy bravery earlier." The Zora handed Link a scale from his forearm. "With that scale you should be able to dive deeper than before."
Lake Hylia was even larger than Zora's Domain. Link waded in the shallow end of the water, near the dock, while his companion searched in the deeper water. Link caught sight of something glistening beneath the pellucid waves. He swam down and grabbed it, finding it was a glass bottle with a piece of paper rolled up inside. Link sat on the dock and uncorked the bottle. Inside was a letter written in runes he did not understand and Hylian script; it was hard to read since the ink had smeared and the paper was damp, but Link managed.
Help me. I am waiting for you inside Lord Jabu Jabu's belly. -Ruto P.S. Don't tell my father!
Link's blue eyes went wide, he quickly rolled the paper back up and stuck it inside the bottle. He quickly scanned the lake looking for the Zora, but couldn't find his companion anywhere. Link ducked back down the underwater alcove and immediately went to the throne room of King Zora, which was the tallest point in Zora's Domain.
King Zora was a...pudgy, overgrown Zora if Link had ever seen one. He wore a red robe and crown, but he hardly held a regal air. Link stepped up onto a raised portion of the walkway to speak to the King. He placed an arm over his middle and bowed respectfully before he presented the King with the glass bottle and note.
"It is signed from Princess Ruto, your majesty."
"Bring it to me, boy!"
Link nodded and walked the thin pathway up towards the king, who was sitting atop a small waterfall. The King read the letter in a haste, then moaned out in misery. "Oh my dear princess!" Link looked at him expectantly, but King Zora stared at him blankly.
"Return below so that I may speak to you, boy."
Link's jaw went tight, but he obliged; the last thing Hyrule needed was civil conflict amongst another race. King Zora cleared his throat before speaking. "What is your name, boy?"
"Link." He replied. "Link." The King tested the name out, though he didn't seem impressed. "You're obviously Hylian. Though none have come before me naked before I shall look past it because you have brought me this important piece of information in my time of need. I am in need of a hero, Link, and you will have to do. Lord Jabu Jabu is the patron deity of the Zora race. He is benevolent and we usually encourage all visitors to see him, but as of late he has been out of sorts. I fear he may have some evil curse upon him cast from that man, Ganondorf. This can be the only reason he would swallow dear Ruto. Go retrieve my daughter and smite the evil inside Lord Jabu Jabu, Link!" Not only was Link mortified to realize he still was without his tunic, but watching the fat King try and wiggle out of the way so Link could pass to Zora's Fountain was horrible in a different sort of way. Link caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw his companion from earlier grinning and waving him over. They were at the waterfall once more.
"It will take our king some time to move. I've had a fiend take care of your soiled tunic, Link." Link breathlessly mouthed "thank you" to the Zora, then they were both over the waterfall again. Link landed with a large splash, but the Zora hardly made a ripple. The Zora brought Link to what looked like a shop. A Zora from behind the counter handed Link his tunic and boots, both now squeaky clean. Link couldn't thank them both enough as he pulled the damp tunic on over his soaked body and slipped his waterlogged boots on. Link tied the Zora scale onto his right boot, and he caught a faint smile on his companion's lips. "You'd best return to our king, Link. If he notices you missing he will assume you fled from the challenge-and you'll never gain our sapphire that way."
"Thank you for everything. What do I call you?" Link glanced at the friendly Zora. "Mikau." He smiled and hurried Link back towards the throne room.
When Link returned the Zora king hadn't even noticed his absence. He scooted over with a final grunt and exhaled heavily. "Go forth and bring my precious daughter back to me, young hero."
Link nodded and hurried up the walkway then ventured through the gates King Zora had been blocking. Zora's Fountain wasn't too far away from the throne room, but Link was surprised to see an enormous creature sitting at a wooden dock; that must've been Lord Jabu Jabu. Lord Jabu Jabu didn't seem god-like in the same sense that King Zora didn't seem kingly. Lord Jabu Jabu was adorned with a headdress of gold and jewels, but the creature itself seemed sluggish and bloated. Lord Jabu Jabu eyed Link suspiciously. Our young hero approached the beast and poked at its lips with a Deku stick from his pack. Its mouth did not open, and Link furrowed his brows. He noticed a sign on the dock:
Presenting Lord Jabu Jabu with an offering will bring good luck to the bearer.
What sort of offering did this creature desire?
Link felt something slimy inside his boot start to wiggle now that he was still. He yanked off his boot in a flash and groaned in disgust to find the Zora had stuck a live fish into his boot. He scratched his head at how he didn't notice the thing inside his boot before, but Lord Jabu Jabu had widened its eyes and pried open its massive jaws. It inhaled sharply, sucking in the fish and Link alike. Link disappeared inside the deity with a surprised cry.
A/N: What will befall our young hero within the guardian deity of the Zora?
Hurray, Mikau from Majora's Mask cameoed! *ravenous applause from the studio audience*.
Firstly, I'd like to thank Pokemonwhite2 and Nintendoes Gamer for reading and reviewing loyally. I love it that all you guys like the chapters, though!
For my guest reviewer: I don't really understand your question. Am I aware of the settings for each game? If you could elaborate then I'd love to answer your question rightfully.
For Killerisdead14: Your review was incredibly sweet, thank you for the positive feedback! As for making Dark Link a female, I'll have to mull it over. He was really going to be the only yaoi pairing I planned on elaborating on, unless a lot of people requested another. I'd say if no one had any major protests to it, then why not.
As always, review! I love to hear feedback; it makes me a better writer and that makes for a better story.