Author's Note: Okay, so this is probably going to be a short chapter and I am sorry for that, but on the bright side this only took me a week and I no longer have college so hopefully updates should be much quicker. We are finally getting to the parts that I am really keen to write (the Sage of Spirit section and after), so hopefully I can get there by the end of the Summer before college starts again. Maybe a chapter every week or so? It may be asking a lot, though, so don't expect too much from me!
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another."
~Charles Dickens~
Shards of Time
An Ocarina of Time FanFiction
Chapter 23: Domain
The candlelight flickers around us, casting long shadows across the chambers. The sun has long since set, our journey to Goron City and the Fire Temple over. After Volvagia's defeat, we returned to Goron City with Darunia in tow. With the battle fresh in our minds and Darunia sticking around to help, we join up with the few remaining Gorons left and help to clear up the mess from Volvagia's attack on Kakariko Village, celebrating our survival only days later. Link now had even more questions to ask me about anything and everything, and it wasn't too long during the celebrations when he finally made me cave enough to shut him up.
"You place your hand here," I instruct, pointing to my heart and continuing on as he does so. "Then you have to push hard and fast, as the whole point is to get the heart started and air moving again." I am already uncomfortable enough for the positions that we are in; lying on the floor in a tangled mess; and even now I can hear Nisah's teasing laugh in my head as she mocks how we are. "So you finally got a Hylian," she probably would have said. "If you drowned, for example, it would remove the water from the—"
"What happens when you have... drowned?" Link asks suddenly, testing out the word like he has never heard it before. Being in the Valley, I have never known what drowning feels like, but I sure as Hell know what it is. However I do accept that he lived with immortal children in a forest for far too long, and then slept away seven years of his life, so I can't really say much on his development issues. I sigh deeply, knowing how hard this is going to be.
I keep forgetting that he is still a child; remembering what happened last time it happened.
Oh Din... if this wasn't already bad enough.
"Well, uh, it's when you've been swimming too deep in water and not being able to get back up to the top to get air in time. Your body fills with water, and you can't breathe." He seems a little confused, but nods nonetheless. "And then the same thing happens like with you in the Forest Temple: we'd have to do this to try and get the water out of whoever drowned. But anyway," I add before he can think on it. "You have to push down hard and fast thirty times on the heart."
I fake-mimic the action over his own heart, then help him do so with my heart. Being that I am still conscious and not dead, I can tell from the first press that some of my ribs will be bruised by the end of this. The Gerudo never taught any of us the idea of CPR, as bringing someone back was firstly near impossible from battle wounds or infection, and trying to do CPR would keep us away from Mother Din when she clearly called for us.
But here I have no such luxury.
"You do it thirty times," I say, stopping him before he does enough to break a rib. I smirk teasingly. "You can count to thirty, right?"
He shoots me an irritated glare, but he can't hold back a smile. "I'm not that young, you know."
"Oh I know," I say, holding my hands up. "But you didn't have the same upbringing as all us normal, boring people. Now," I add after a beat. "After thirty you pinch their nose and breath into their mouth. These Hylians call it the "kiss of life" or whatever, so I'd rather not do that right now. But it doesn't always work," I murmur, my eyes hardening as I meet his worried gaze. The memories are awakening at the back of my mind, as much as I don't want them to, so I press on quickly. "If you are doing it for too long, then you have to... stop."
"Ciren, y-you... you need to s-stop now. It's... he's too far—"
He nods firmly. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that."
We lapse into silence for a while, unsure of what else to do. My mind is back in the Forest Temple, memories and motions swinging back into my consciousness that I can't take my mind away from it. I chastise myself for acting like such a Hylian when it is all in the past and I did my duty to the Hero of Time, but at the same time I know that next time, since there is a high chance of it, I doubt that Link would be able to do it properly or I would be healthy enough to do it myself. "Whelp, that's all you need to know. Is there anything else that you want to know?"
"No, I should be ready for now, thank you Ciren," Link remarks before rising to his feet, trying without avail to conceal a yawn. He crosses the room and makes his way to the door, stopping for a second as he reaches for the handle. "Ciren?" I hum, staring at his back with concern. "Aren't we going to a place with lots of water next?"
Even with my Gerudo heart, I can't seem to find my voice to respond.
Thankfully there is a knock on the door before anything else happens. I call for whoever it is to enter, watching as a slightly dishevelled Kaei pokes his head around the door. "We have an unexpected visitor with a frazzled mare, so I thought that you could come and help since no one else can do much being so drunk." He chuckles, then notices the position that we are stuck in and raises a brow. "Unless I'm interrupting something more important, then I can just get—"
"Shut it, Kaei," I snap. "We've had to replace Fairies ever since Ganondorf took over, and after the Forest Temple I've had to teach him CPR in case something like that happens again." Knowing the negative memories that have spawned from it, the Sheikah does his job and keeps his mouth shut. Link and I rise to our feet and follow Kaei out into the cold night air, the bonfire in the middle of town casting gold lights across the brick houses and reminding me of younger, much better, days. When Link asks what Kaei was going on about before, my only response is, "He's just being a Sheikah. Don't worry about it."
Thankfully he doesn't ask further.
As we approach the entrance to Kakariko Village, a lone woman is surrounded by numerous villagers attempting to keep her mare calm now that she has broken free of her reigns attached to the cart behind her. I dart forward and force the villagers away, knowing that so many people around her aren't helping. I grab the remaining reigns around the mare, struck at how familiar the woman beside me is. "M-Malon?" I dare to ask, catching her attention with a small gasp as we both tug the mare down with her reigns.
"Ciren?!"
I smirk. "So you finally got away from the Ranch, huh?"
Not long after Ganondorf's attack did I revisit Lon Lon Ranch, only to find that Malon's Father had been cast out to Kakariko for being too lazy and Ganondorf had appointed Ingo in charge instead. I had tried to get Malon out of such a horrible environment for both her and the animals, but her love of the latter and her fear of Ingo kept her soundly shut out from the rest of the world. I kept visiting her, but even after a few years did those visits become less physical and more in the form of letters once Ingo became even more controlling.
It has taken her seven years to get out of there.
Thankfully it doesn't take too long of soothing the mare's concerns before she calms down, permitting Malon to finally relax. When we hear footsteps behind us, however, her eyes widen in disbelief when she turns. "Fairy Boy?" I turn as well, smiling as she rushes to embrace her friend. They hadn't known each other for very long, but it is always the small friendships that last the longest. When she pulls away, she remarks, "I haven't seen you for years!"
"Sorry, Malon," he says quietly, smiling too. "I've been... travelling a lot. But that's fine now," he adds after a moment. "I'm sure your Father will be happy to see you. Do you want me to take you to him?" She nods eagerly, linking arms as they walk away. As their figures shrink off into the distance, Malon glances back over her shoulder and flashes me a thankful smile.
I cast my gaze to the brown eyes of the mare before me whilst the villagers prepare to move the cart away from the entrance to Kakariko. Tugging some grass out from its roots, I feed her and think to Luz. "I guess it's just you and me for a while, huh?" The horse whinnies in response, as if understanding me. I stroke her nose, a small smile tugging at my lips too. "Well you and your friend are more than safe here. Hopefully you will be happier here." Once I know that she trusts me, I lead her away and into the stables towards the back of the town, placing her beside the one horse that I put my faith into every day.
From here, the days seem just a little brighter.
"Malon, you've only just got back. We can't take your horse when there's so little here," I argue softly. Two mornings after Malon's swift apperance, Link finally told us that we had to move on. I was ready not long before, but Malon's return had pulled my mind away for a moment. Either way, with Sheik volunteering herself once again, the ranch hand is adament with giving us her horse to help us travel, even if we already have two.
"But all of you are helping us all. I have to do something to help," is her only response.
Yet I merely shake my head. "Yes but that horse has been at your side every time I have seen you. It's not like we can't share."
Malon smirks. "It doesn't matter. I've taught Fairy Boy the basics of riding a horse, so my gift to him is Epona. You wouldn't want to ruin my present to a friend that I haven't seen in seven years?" She bats her eyelids like any Hylian woman who is desperate for something, patting Epona's neck with a smile. Her bright eyes lock onto something behind me, and her smile only grows. "And besides, he's already agreed to it."
I whip around, finding who I expect, and roll my eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"
"What?" Link asks with a smile, holding his hands up. "I'm not going to decline a gift, especially one that is going to help us in the long run." He steps past me to rub Epona's flank, his smile growing when she gives a positive response. "If Malon wasn't happy to do so, then she wouldn't have said anything. This is going to help, Ciren, I know it."
Whether he is being legitimate or saying this to make me crack, I don't know.
My eyes flicker from him, to Malon, and to Epona before I huff. "Fine, but only for it's practically and not because you Hylians are persuasive because you aren't." They both laugh, although say nothing. We group together our horses, Sheik bringing up her stallion, and collect the last of our things. It is just Kaei and Malon to see us off, the other villagers going about their daily business and the Gorons finishing the clear up with a few soldiers.
Now that we have Epona, I'll admit that we can approach Zora's Domain at a faster pace and without sharing. Sheik, sensing something foreboding from there, has decided to join us again; whether it be for that reason or because I offended her nature after learning who she really is, I'm not asking. No matter why she has come along, she managed to help last time so I'm not complaining yet. Once we have gathered everything that we need, we set out at first light.
The air becomes colder as the sun continues to rise, something not unusual after Ganondorf's attack seven years ago, however slightly confusing as Zora's Domain has suffered little from World Order; it is only Lake Hylia that has been deprived of water somehow over the years. I shake my head of the thought, feeling too much like a Hylian for overthinking such small things; they tend to do that a lot, especially when it doesn't even matter all that much.
By the time we reach the main entrance to Zora River, we dismount our steeds and release them back into the Field, knowing how narrow the pathways will soon become. Once their shadows shrink into the near distance, we make our way up Zora River without hesitation.
"So," Navi muses from above as we go. "Who do you think the Sage of Water will be?"
Sheik chews at her lip, knowing something that we don't, before replying, "Well both the Sage of Forest and Sage of Fire were considered leaders among their folk, so I assume that a pattern has cropped up." Her words at cryptic at best, but it is all that we have to work with. With the Zora, the one I immediately think of is King Zora, however Princess Ruto is also capable to rule her people too. And what about Jabu Jabu? He may be their Guardian, but he could be the Sage too.
If the latter is true, then I don't want to physically explore his innards like Link did; I was happy to get out of that one.
"Don't jinx it, Sheik," Link humours with a smirk. "We have little luck on our side as it is."
The Sheikah-Princess smiles back at him through her cowl, though says nothing back. The Guardian Fairy rolls her eyes as she rests upon her partner's head. I shrug. "Well he does have a point. It's not like the Three have been the kindest to us in recent days, even with our Hero back. We might as well keep quiet and hope that the Sage is still here and not stuck somewhere else."
They chuckle but say nothing, thankfully listening to my words. Most of the journey up Zora River is silent, the water not roaring with foam but near silent; another phenomenon in itself. Idle conversation is made here and there, yet we are starting to become so cold that we focus on ourselves rather than everyone else. We force ourselves up to the waterfall with enough ease, few monsters plaguing the waters.
Link plays the same song that opened the way last time, thankful that it works. But when we jump through the waterfall, we are greeted with a horrifying sight.
Zora's Domain is frozen over.
I should have seen it coming from a mile away, from the colder air to the deserted River but I ignored it nonetheless. And now we're here, staring at the icicles that dangle from the ceiling as if they have been growing here for months. The ground is covered in a thin layer of black ice, a layer of frost above it betraying its nature. The once thriving village is left with a cold, desolate cavern that gives me chills for more than just the temperature. I had been here so many times before we were graced with our Hero to do everything for the Hylians, and I never thought that it could end up like this.
We rush on ahead without word, Link and Sheik taking it slow whilst I force myself to endure the ice at my feet as we make our way up to the ceremony chamber. Zoras seem to be trapped beneath the ice in the lake, some still moving and desperate to survive whilst others are still and even more unsettling. But I swallow it back and hold my pride up instead, using it as a shield to hold back the emotions twisting my gut. Icy fingers reach up from the ground like their was a fight here, and a part of me dreads to see what is at the top of these steps.
The Sheikah takes up a torch that has somehow managed to survive in this mess and illuminates the cavernous chamber, revealing a large shard of ice followed by another, much smaller one, next to it. "Ruto!" Sheik cries out, racing up the stairs to the right and up to the pieces of ice resting where King Zora would usually sit. However, both he and his daughter are still there yet completely frozen over; the ice a bright crimson. She clutches onto the lump of ice, reaching into her pockets and tugging out a tiny vial of a blue liquid from her breastplate.
"Sheik, what are you—?"
However she cuts Navi off when Sheik tips the vial over the lump of ice and gestures for us all to take a step back, stretching her arm out and lowering the torch and lighting the ice on fire. We all are surprised when the liquid creates a bright blue flame that germinates so fast that I barely have time to think before the ice is engulfed in flames. Thankfully the flames don't hurt the Zora Princess when they touch her body, dissolving the ice around and underneath her, but nothing else around her; leaving the rest of the Domain cold and fragile.
She collapses to her knees, Sheik kneeling down and draping her arm across her shoulders. Ruto blinks numerous times before finding the Sheikah's eyes. "What...?"
"There must have been an attack on the Domain," Sheik explains as Ruto's eyes scan the Domain and widen. "I only had enough Blue Fire to save you, though. If we can free the Water Temple from the darkness that cloaks it, then we may have a chance to save your people before they freeze forever. Do you remember what happened to you?"
The Zora Princess nods vaguely. "It was Ganondorf," she whispers morosely. "We were expected to either keep to ourselves or help the Gerudo by pledging allegiance to them. We would never surrender to them so we kept out of their way, but when they heard that the Forest Temple had been cleansed he came here to confront us in case whoever helped the Kokiri came here and... my people fought so valiantly that—" She cuts herself off when her eyes fall onto us; well, not me. "Link?" Ruto dares to whisper before shooting to her feet and rushing forth to grab him, planting a hard kiss onto his lips.
I raise a brow at Sheik, whose eyes are a blur with emotion, but she simply shakes her head at me. But in her eyes is a pang of jealousy.
When Ruto pulls away, Link is just as perplexed as I am. "Um," he stammers. "H-Hi Ruto?"
She giggles and pulls herself away, and it irritates me to not know what is going on here. "So the polite thing to say would be "thank you," Ruto?" I snap without hesitation, catching her attention immediately. "We haven't got time for games, even if you are still adjusting. We need to find the Sage of Water and defeat whatever now lurks within the Water Temple before it ruins anything else around here." Her eyes widen in disgust, but my words ring true enough for her doting eyes to fade for a moment. "Now what is going on? You've never been so... forward before."
She grins. "Well I'm sure you know that I should have been married off numerous years ago; seven, to be precise," I nod vaguely, wondering where this is going. "And my Father was more than desperate for heirs, but I refused every Zora that he asked to court me. So when Link came asking for the Sapphire, it meant that I could have some fun and end this little quarrel over marriage at the same time; killing two birds with one stone, as it were. I never realised what he would initially become, but I suppose it's nothing but a bonus for me."
"So when I took the Sapphire, it made you believe that we loved each other unconditionally?" She nods at his question, her eyes glinting with humour and attraction. "I... I'm sorry, Ruto, but—"
"Oh stop it!" Ruto chides playfully, swatting his arm in the process. "Of course you aren't a Zora, either, so that put a spanner in the works, but I guess no other Zora can beat a seven year long engagement, huh? Plus I knew that you didn't necessarily understand what all of it meant, but it shut my father up." She casts a long gaze to her frozen parent before forcing her eyes back onto Link. "And, either way, the three Sacred Stones were placed back into Zelda's possession not long after Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm, so there's nothing to prove our... joining."
But Link zoned out ever since he heard the Princess's name. "Have you seen her?"
"No," she replies, partially annoyed that he didn't hear her and half filled with pity for the child lost in an adult world. "But she is safe with Impa, last I heard, so she should be fine."
Sheik lowers her head, and I finally understand her nature. "Well," she starts, hoping to change the conversation. "I'm sure we've found here that a childish mind with turn to noble ambition, and that young love could become deep affection. Hopefully, once the Water Temple has been cleansed then the water of the Domain will reflect growth once more. The Serenade of Water will take us to Lake Hylia where the Temple resides, and we can face whatever evil lurks in there thanks to the King of Evil himself."
We nod in agreement, more so at the start than the end. The Sheikah produces her Harp and silently signals for us to gather closer. Ruto takes the time to cling to her so-called fiancé, causing the latter to hold back a bundle of questions, and as Sheik strums a calming melody that reflects around the frozen wasteland around us, the already bright chamber becomes even brighter before we become completely weightless.
And deep down, even though Lake Hylia lacks water, I hope that Link's observation doesn't come true.
"What happens when you have... drowned?"
