The next day, Link ventured into the tiny shop at the edge of Lake Hylia. He pretended to look at the fishing merchandise, but what he was really doing was listening to the grown-ups talk. He wanted to know what else had happened at the castle.
"It was tragic, from what I heard" a plump lady was saying to the shop-keeper. "The Princess is missing, and the King and Queen are dead."
Link felt a pang in his heart.
"How did they die?" the heavy shopkeeper asked, scratching his bushy, brown beard.
"As far as I know, the king was shot down with an arrow... the Queen was pushed out the window of the highest tower in the Castle... horrible, horrible deaths. They didn't deserve that" the woman sniffled.
"Nay, they were good people. I hope the Princess is ok. These are the beginnings of dark times for Hyrule. I feel it in my gut. No one to take over the throne... who will claim it?" the man asked solemnly.
"I heard there's already someone" the woman said, lowering her voice and leaning forward. Link got a little closer. "I heard some... being... from far away... has taken over the throne... they say he looks... evil... people are scared" she whispered. There was a moment of silence as she let that bit of information sink in. "Anyway," she said, straightening up, "those are just rumors. You know how people get after tragic events. We just have to wait and see if it's all true."
"For all of our sakes, I hope those rumors are false. May the goddesses help us" the shopkeeper said, bowing his head in respect. Link left the tiny store and ran back to the hidden cave where Zelda waited.
"Did you find out anything? Are mama and papa ok?" she asked, sounding hopeful. Link shook his head sadly. "No? You didn't find anything?" she inquired.
"They didn't make it..." Link said quietly. The Princess nodded once and turned away from him. Link didn't want her to think about it, so he pulled out his sword. "You need training. I don't know a whole lot, but I can show you what I do know. You need it. In case something happens, you need to be able to defend yourself. Father always said it was best to be well prepared for anything... even the most horrible of things. Uncle Mac would tell me to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, always. We avoid accidents that way, he used to say" Link rambled. The Princess looked at Link with wide eyes.
"I've never done anything like this before" she said. Link scratched his head. How was he supposed to teach a girl how to hold a sword? To fight?
"Do you know how to fight at all?" he asked, scratching his chin. She shook her head.
"Ok... that's ok. Well, first of all, we need to get rid of those clothes" Link said, looking at the over-sized, dirty clothes the Princess wore. "They'll only get in the way."
"What?! And what will I wear? I can't be naked!" the young girl squealed.
"Don't be daft. We will find you some other clothes" Link said, but motioned for her to be quiet. The sound of thunder could be heard reverberating through the cave's walls. "We are close to the lake. If it floods, we're history. I think we should move on. Help me grab our things" he said.
Once their pitiful belongings were gathered, Link stepped outside. It was late afternoon, but the sky was becoming dark; typical of a severe Hyrule storm. As soon as they left the safety of their cave, the rain began to fall. Soft, large droplets of cold water splattered against their skin and soaked the ground.
"Where are we going?" Zelda asked, wrapping her arms around Link's waist.
"Dunno. Just gotta get out of here" he said. He urged Fury into a slow trot, afraid to make the large beast slip on the mud and break his leg.
They rode on for over an hour. Link couldn't see a thing. The curtain of rain and lack of light made it impossible to know where he was going. Soaked to the bone and shaking, they stopped at a waterfall.
"H-haven't we b-b-been here before?" Zelda asked the young boy, shivering. He shook his head.
"I don't know... m-maybe we c-c-can wait out the s-storm behind there" Link mumbled. Shaking, he pointed behind the sheet of water. Zelda nodded and they both climbed off of the horse. Slowly pulling Fury and Epona along, they made their way to the waterfall.
"Halt! Who goes there?!" a sharp voice asked. Link froze in panic and the Princess clung to his arm. There was a metallic clinking and a sound of... wet feet? Link couldn't quite tell what the noise was. Then a small light came into view. Slowly, it accompanied the footsteps. Two Zoras! Link had never seen one in real life, but his father had shown him paintings.
"Oh, they're just kids" a female Zora said, lowering her trident. The Zora's were beautiful: tall, pale, and fish-like, but also majestic and proud. These two wore armor.
"What are you two small-fries doing out on your own at a time like this?" the male Zora asked. Neither Link nor the Princess answered. "Wait a minute... come into the light..." he said, taking a step forward. Link was ready to bolt, taking a couple of steps back. "I know you," he said, addressing Zelda, "you're the missing Princess!"
"What are you talking about, Zered?" the female Zora asked. "No way can she be the Princess..."
"It is!" Zered said, "I've seen her before, when I went to Hyrule Castle with King Ral... before he died. Anyway, Princess, you have to get out of the open! It's dangerous! The whole of Hyrule is looking for you! Come with us!" and with that, the two Zoras jumped in the water.
"Come on! We'll take you to safety!" the female Zora said. Link turned to Zelda.
"What do we do?" she asked him.
"We have no choice but to trust them" Link replied.
"And the horses?" the Princess inquired.
"We will come back for the horses, Your Grace. But you must hurry" Zered said.
Jumping in after the zoras, and praying it wasn't a trap, Link and Zelda each grabbed on to a Zora and the fish-like creatures began to ascend the waterfall. Link held his breath as the powerful torrent of water swooshed across his face and around his ears. He thought he might not make it... he was already out of breath... his lungs were going to burst soon, he was sure of it. And then... freedom. He gasped lungfuls of air and coughed. Zelda was beside him, spluttering and gasping herself.
"We apologize, but it was the fastest way to get to our domain" Zered said, helping Zelda out of the water. "It's almost impossible for outsiders to reach this place" he added. Turning to the female Zora, he asked her to go back for their belongings. "Now that Rutil has gone for your things, please, let me escort you to our throne room" Zered said. Link and Zelda followed him, shaking, soaked through to their very bones. The throne room was an enormous, circular chamber made of beautiful, purplish stone. The walls were lined with a path to allow walking, but in the center of the chamber was a very deep pond from which the water flowed into the river that led to Lake Hylia. Other Zoras were happily swimming there, while others were dressed in armor, holding dangerous-looking tridents, like Zered and Rutil. Two such guards were on either side of the throne, which was occupied by the most beautiful Zora Link had ever seen. She was pale, like the rest, and her eyes were the same sapphire blue, but she was dressed in royal garments, and her face was soft, almost human. By her side was a small replica of her. Zered bowed before Queen Zora and the Princess. Hastily, Link and Zelda did the same. After a few seconds, Zered stepped forward to talk to the Queen. Standing, the Queen motioned the children forward. Shyly, Link and Zelda complied.
"My child, forgive me. I heard of your plight too late. By the time my soldiers had arrived at Hyrule Castle, it was much too late to do anything" Queen Zora said to the Princess. "It was an unexpected and cowardly attack. And now you carry the burden. The fate of Hyrule lies upon your small shoulders. My people and I will assist you any way we can, whenever we can. And you, my brave lad," the Queen said, turning to Link, "what is your name?" Link felt himself blush.
"Link, Your Grace" he mumbled, looking at his feet.
"Thank you, brave Link, for helping... no, saving... the Princess of Hyrule. You too now share the burden with her. Your destinies are intertwined, I know it. I'd like you both to meet Princess Zylia, my daughter" and the young Zora Princess stepped forward and curtsied. The Queen turned to her daughter and said "Zylia, please show Princess Zelda and Link to the guest bedrooms."
The two of them followed Zylia to the edge of the pond. With a movement of her small hand, she created a large bubble.
"Follow me" she said, smiling at Zelda and Link. Stepping into the bubble after her, the three of them descended into the pond. Slowly, they sunk to the very bottom. "We almost never have guests," Zylia said, "but I'm sure you will like it here. Not many outsiders can say they have been to the Zora's Palace. It's hidden." She slipped her arm through the bubble, but curiously no water came through. Placing her small, webbed hand on the stone, she whispered something in Zora language and the stone began to glow a pale blue. The stone then became a doorway through which they passed. The bubble ascended through a narrow passage lined with colorful corals until finally they reached the entrance to the palace. It was made of the same stone as the throne room, only these pillars were taller, and the palace was enormous. Link thought it could rival the beauty of Hyrule Castle itself. They followed the young Princess through the hallways until they reached their destination.
"You may wish to bathe. I will have someone bring you clean clothes. Dinner won't be for another hour, so feel free to rest... see you later!" Princess Zylia said, and then ran off, leaving Link and Zelda behind.
"I guess we better go in" Link said, opening the door to the chamber. It was a vast room, bigger than he had first thought. There were about five beds inside, a fireplace, and three arm chairs. A painting of Lake Hylia adorned the wall. Double doors led to the huge bathing room. Only it wasn't a normal bathing room. It was more like a hot spring, with flat stones that served as seats. The wall was lined with exotic soaps and oils.
"Wow! Amazing! We don't have anything like this at home!" Zelda gushed, marveling at the sight.
"It's neat. I had never seen anything like this but... we can't bathe at the same time" Link said, turning red.
"Oh... no, of course not" Zelda said. "You can go first if you want"
Link shook his head. "Nah, you go on. I'll wait out there" and with that, he stepped out of the bathing room, closing the door. He sat himself on one of the armchairs and stared at the painting on the wall. Slowly, the events of the past few days flooded his mind. It had only been a couple of days since he had first set off to Hyrule, but oh how much had happened since. He couldn't quite grasp the enormity of everything that had happened: the death of his loved ones, the overthrowing of the Royal Family… so much death… too much. He shook his head to clear it. He was tired. He wanted to bathe, and he wanted to sleep. He wanted not to think. There was a light knock at the door, and he went to answer it. A zora guard bowed and handed Link their clean clothes and shoes.
"The Queen sends word that your horses and the rest of your belonging are safe. Your things will be brought here soon. As for your horses, they are being watched down at Zora's domain. Dinner will be served at nineteen hundred hours" he said to Link. Link thanked him and closed the door.
"Um... Link? Did they bring the clothes?" Zelda asked from inside the bathing room.
"Yeah... they're here" he said. The Princess opened the door to the bathing room, cloaked in a fluffy, white robe, a matching towel around her head. She grabbed the clothes from Link's hand and quickly shut the door again. After a few minutes, she opened the door once more and stepped outside. She was dressed in what was clearly Zora clothing. Her hosen were made of pale, almost shimmery material. She wore a light blue peasant's blouse with short sleeves and her knee high boots were silver. She was combing her short, blond hair and smiling.
"We don't possess anything half this grand in Hyrule Castle," she said, "the clothes feel so light and silky"
"Guess it's my turn now" Link said, and he stepped into the bathing room, carrying with him his clothes and shoes.
As soon as he stepped into the warm water, he didn't want to leave, ever. It soothed his tired muscles and made him feel completely relaxed. But he knew he was expected at dinner, so he hurried and bathed and dried himself off. The clothes were indeed very light, almost airy. He too had been given a light blue tunic, a white undershirt, and his pants were made of the same pale, shimmery material Zelda wore. His boots were also silver. He had never in his life owned something this fancy. It felt weird to him somehow. The tunic was too big on him, so he used his own belt to fasten it around his waist. There. That was better. He stepped out of the bathing room and found Zelda was gone. That little chit, he thought, she didn't even wait for me. He stepped out into the hallway and was greeted by a guard at the door.
"Young Master Link, Princess Zelda has been escorted to the dinner table. Allow me to escort you now, everyone waits for you" the zora guard said. Link blushed. He felt like he was an important noble instead of the insignificant peasant he really was. Quietly, he followed the guard, hoping he wouldn't make a fool of himself among all these royals.
A/N: Ah, the Zoras. Possibly my favorite race in Hyrule (at least from OoT and on, because I didn't particularly like the enemy Zoras shooting fire at me in ALttP lol). I realize I did a crappy job describing these creatures, but just know they look exactly like they do in TP. I guess I should say I don't quite add or describe specific details to places as I assume everybody has played TP, which is basically the map I'm following, except many, many times bigger, and the places are vaster, to allow my characters ample room to travel. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to comment or PM me. As always, your reviews are most welcome! xoxo