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
Chapter 6: The Zora Princess
Link landed in something wet and almost spongy. He shook off the impact and sat up gingerly, then leapt to his feet when he realized he was standing on an enormous tongue, Lord Jabu Jabu's tongue to be exact. The stench inside was so bad he immediately started to retch and clutched his nose desperately. After a few more moments his nose shut down completely and he could no longer smell anything. Link took in his surroundings; there was pools of saliva (he hoped) in front of him and gaseous bubbles bouncing off the fleshy, pink walls of the cavern. Link drew his sword and gingerly stepped forward. The beast's tongue quivered, so Link hurried to the back of its throat and disappeared down its esophagus.
He came to a room with floating Biri that had tendrils of electricity cracking off them. They lazily floated towards the boy, but Link hurried past them to a room with several large ulcers. He inhaled sharply when he caught sight of a small Zora, about his size-obviously a kid, looking around feverishly for something. Link admired her quietly for a second, from the cian and sapphire scales adoring her body to the fins protruding from her forearms and hips. She was different from the other Zora, for she had no tail extending from the back of her head. She whirled around after she heard him step forward and her amethyst eyes widened. "Where did you come from? Did my father send you?!" She demanded. Link recoiled slightly at her abrasive tone, but stepped forward anyways.
"I received a letter-"
"Letter? What letter?" She immediately crossed her arms and scoffed. Link knit his brows together in confusion; he clearly remember Princess Ruto signing that letter…
"Look, I'm fine. Go back. Besides, I'm not leaving until I find my treasure…" She trailed off for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks and turned on her heel. She stuck her small nose in the air and walked forward-straight into an ulcer. Link tried to snatch her, but she disappeared down the wound with a scream of fright. Link steeled himself and jumped down after her.
He found Ruto on a ledge looking down at green, bilish liquid beneath her. She cut her eyes towards him and straightened her back. "Are you really so insistent to taking me back?" She asked him; Link nodded stubbornly in return. Ruto sighed and shook her head.
"Then it can't be helped. My name is Ruto, princess of the Zora. Who might you be?"
"Link." He replied simply.
"Link," Ruto narrowed her eyes curiously at the blonde headed boy, "Alright. Link, you must help me find my treasure. I refuse to leave without it, and also...could you slay the evil inside Lord Jabu Jabu? He hasn't acted the same since that sinister man left." Ruto sat down and locked her arms around her knees. "I give you the honour of carrying me, Link, now don't dwaddle! We have to find my treasure!"
Link exhaled and heaved the Zora princess onto her shoulders to carry her. Ruto chuckled to herself and busied her hands by playing with whatever golden locks stuck out from Link's hat.
Link glanced up at her every once in a while, but for the most part he pretended Ruto wasn't there as he hurried through the insides of Lord Jabu Jabu. He went deep into the belly of the beast and stumbled upon electrified tentacles wedged up inside the deity. "That must be what is causing Lord Jabu Jabu such discomfort. Kill it, Link!" Ruto demanded. Link set her down and gently squeezed her hands whenever she started to get up and follow him.
"No, it's dangerous. Stay here so I can protect you, princess." Link murmured to her. He turned and grabbed his boomerang-the special weapon Ruto gave him-and went to work circling and lobbing his weapon at the parasite. Ruto watched him in slight concern and bit the inside of her cheek; her skin felt oddly warm and flushed.
Link battled three of the parasites and took Ruto to a room where a dazzling gem waited on the floor. "That's it!" She squealed and kicked and bucked on his shoulders. "My treasure!"
Ruto hurried over and grabbed it, then turned to Link with a grateful smile. "This was a gift from my mother, it means a lot to me."
Link sent her a smile in return, but then the floor quaked and rose like a platform. Ruto cried out in surprise and once again disappeared before Link could grab her. A giant Octorock fell from the gaping hole in the ceiling the platform left. Link drew his sword and shield and swallowed the lump in his throat-he promised the Zora king he would return Ruto safely.
To put it plainly, the fight against the Big Octo was rough. His body was sore from the mini-boss ramming him and he was exhausted from chasing it in circles. The platform came back down after Big Octo rammed against the wall one last time. Link finished the demon and climbed onto the platform, where he saw a creature shaped like a heart with Biri and electrified tendrils attached to it. "Bio-Electric anemone, Barinade!" Navi buzzed around Link's ear in a tizzy. "Use that boomerang, Link!"
Link dodged a bolt of electricity sent his way and somersaulted into a crouch. He was already breathing heavy from Big Octo, and it was clear that this fight wasn't going to be easy. He dashed and lobbed his bommerage at the parasite, and slashed wildly with his sword whenever he stunned it and got close to its core. The Biri were the worst part. They stunned Link long enough for Barinade to zap him with an electric pulse, and every time it happened it got worse. Link's tunic was singled and the tips of his blonde hair were fried as well. He got up on shaky legs and somehow managed to finish off the creature. Just when he felt he might fall down and never get up again, Ruto appeared from her hiding spot and came to his side.
"Wow...Link, that was amazing! You did all of this for me?" Her cheeks turned saw he was in great pain, so she looped his arm around her shoulders and supported him.
"Don't worry, hero, I've got you."
That was the last thing Link remembered before he blacked out.
He felt weightless when he finally started to regain consciousness; a stray thought floated into his murky mind that he might have actually died. Something cool touched his face and caused his mouth to twitch. He lazily opened his baby blues with great effort and caught the flash of sunlight reflecting off of scales.
"Link, you're awake!" A relieved voice cried out, and Link felt something hoist his body up out the weightless void. He leaned into Ruto's arms and tried to keep his eyes open. His surroundings started to come into focus, but at a heavy price; his entire body felt like lead from exhaustion. He tried to move his fingers but could barely manage to twitch them.
"Don't worry Link, you'll be alright." Ruto hastily promised and lowered him back into the water-making him essentially weightless again. "I've sent someone for help, you'll be okay."
Her assurances fell on deaf ears. Link glanced down at his chest, briefly wondering why his tunic was missing, and saw a blackened, charred skin surrounding a nasty red flesh wound. The tips of his fingers were black as well, and his heartbeat erratic. He felt strangely calm though, and let his head tilt back and slip back into oblivion.
When he woke again he was no longer floating in water, but rather on a hard surface. He saw stalactites dripping water from their tips onto the cavern floor beside him. He took a deep breath and sat up slowly-afraid he'd become nauseous if he sat up too fast. The world was in much better focus now. He tilted up his head and nearly bumped his nose against Ruto's. She looked incredibly relieved, but also a little angry. A group of Zora also milled close by to keep an eye on him, and all cried out in joyous, bubbly laughter when Link sat up.
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Ruto demanded. "I had to send one of my people to retrieve a fairy to revive you!"
Revive? So I...died?
Ruto's expression softened when Link contorted his face in horror. She placed one of her webbed hands onto his chest, where a puffy, pink scar still stood up against the skin in an erratic formation-like a tree with many branches.
"You fought bravely, hero. My people and I owe you our thanks." Ruto spoke cordially, but her eyes were soft and tender. "As a reward, I'd like to give you my Zora Sapphire. My mother told me to only give it to the one who I would marry, so I guess you could say it's like the Zora engagement ring." She placed the deep blue gem into the palm of his hand and curled his fingers around it. "Go, I know of your quest for Princess Zelda, but remember to come back to me Link. I'll be waiting."
Link clutched the sapphire tightly and gave Ruto a thankful smile before he gathered up his tunic (patched and repaired by the Zora) and his weapons. He left the Zora domain with little on his mind but returning to Princess Zelda and presenting her with all three sacred gems. She's think of him as a real hero! His heart was light and airy as he hurried down the muddy riverbank towards Hyrule Castle. Ruto clutched her chest after Link left and closed her eyes, letting a small smile spread across her lips.
Don't worry Mother, I found someone brave and wonderful to take as my husband. Rest easy.
A/N: I'm sorry this one is shorter than the others, but I wanted the next segment to be cohesive.
Am I the only one who had a lot of trouble on this particular dungeon? I HATE Big Octo and Barinade!
I think there isn't enough Link x Ruto love, so there you go! Our poor hero has agreed to something far beyond what he realized. (ouo) I love it.
Oh, the scar on Link's chest is called a Lichtenburg figure and is commonly associated with lightning strikes, but I assumed high voltage electric pulses across the chest would leave the same result.
Reviews? They make the author smile every time and the story better!