Chapter Fifteen: Return to Hyrule

Not much time had been spent within Lord Jabu-Jabu; going in it had been dusk, and now exiting the giant fish-god it was still early in the night. The events of the past couple hours, namely his encounter with the Barinade, left him exhausted but hardly tired. Princess Ruto was also in high spirits, and was no longer so in-affable as before. Quite the contrary, she was quite charming, and had pried him with questions to get to know him as they had made their way back out, and she in turn hardly kept secrets; detailing her own life within the halls of the Zora. True to what he had heard prior, she proved to be very un-ladylike in many of her exploits, which allowed for great conversation exchanging his own ventures around Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods. She had begged for him to recount his other battles he had mentioned as well, and listened intently as he did so. He had just finished his story of battling the King Dodongo when they stepped back out into the cool night air.

"You're incredible to have done all of that Link, you're like one of those heroes out of a fairy tale." She giggled. "And look, you even saved a princess, it's exactly like a fairy tale."

"And what fairy tale have you heard of with a hero battling monsters inside a fish-deity?" Link asked, smiling from the compliment.

"This one!" she laughed, jumping down the altar steps splashing into the water. She turned around to face him. "And yours is my favorite I've heard. If you have any more adventures, you'll come back and tell me, won't you?"

"I think I can do that, Your Highness."

"Mmm, you know what? I don't like you calling me that," She frowned, before brightening again a moment later. "Call me my name, OK?"

"Is it OK to do that though?" Link asked, puzzled. "I wouldn't mind, but-"

"You're worried about what everyone else would think?" she finished, shaking her head. "You're right of course, normally that would be frowned upon, but," she flashed a smile, "did you forget I'm a princess? I'll talk to my dad, then everyone will be OK with it." She jumped back up the altar steps, standing inches from him. "Please?"

Link could feel heat rising to his cheeks, with her standing so close. It was exceptionally hard not to notice that she was far more attractive with a smile on her face. Quickly taking a step back and looking away, he nodded his affirmative.

"If you say so…Ruto."

"Yay!" She jumped once, giggling all he while as she leapt forward to hug him. "Thanks Link," she gave a quick, tight squeeze, and rushed away again, down the steps and to the entrance of Zora's Domain, leaving Link to recover, now thoroughly embarrassed. Never before had he met anyone, especially a girl, so forward, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He hoped she didn't notice, but he had a feeling she had, and had taken full advantage of it.

Navi flew into view, snickering. "And you thought Malon was after you."

"Oh shut it Navi, you're not helping," he blushed, which made Navi laugh outright. Ignoring her, he followed after the princess, who was waiting for him.

"I wanted to go in together. It wouldn't do for a princess to return without her rescuer, would it?" She took his hand and they entered. Yep, she's definitely doing this on purpose. But he also had to admit, he didn't really mind it either.

The first Zora they met were the priestesses, who cried out in joy, some rushing to meet them, others running up the path to the city proper. They lavished attention on their princess, begging for reassurances that she was quite all right, which she made sure to accentuate was in no small thanks to Link every time, to which they would then in turn praise him for his bravery. The sudden attention was almost overwhelming for him, so he kept his head down to hide his embarrassment, politely replying that it was nothing, he was glad to help, and so on. When he caught Ruto's eye, she gave a reassuring hand squeeze, a smile, and a shrug. Sorry, can't help it, she was saying. He smiled back, he understood their joy and praise, after all.

They were merrily pushed along into the King's Chamber, Where King Zora held his daughter and cried, happy to have her back. In the time Link had been gone, several of the scouts had returned, and they also joined in, particularly praising Link when they heard he had fought monsters to save their beloved King's Daughter. Vann appeared at his side, forcefully, but politely, making room for him to break away from the center of the crowd and was brought up to the stone dais where had stood before. Taking advantage of the noise in the room, Vann bowed his head.

"Thank you again, though I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times already. Forgive me for my rudeness when we first met, I had no idea you would be so good to us." He smiled and stepped away, the room quieting now to hear the king's words.

"You have done us a great service, young Link, and you have our gratitude, as much as my own. My daughter tells me you fought most valiantly for her safekeeping, and that our Lord Jabu-Jabu is now well again! We are safe, and all Hyrule's waters, for this deed! Let us rejoice, and celebrate, and tonight, you shall dine by my side in honor, Zora!"

The others in the room cheered, and almost immediately there was a flurry of activity, nearly everyone hastening down the steps or, for expediency, taking the corridor to the waterfall to dive. The king motioned for Link to stay, and he waited patiently as he watched the portly monarch lift and push himself off his seated position, dropping with surprising grace onto the puddled floor. Princess Ruto followed suit, and hastened over to Link's side.

"I hope this isn't too much for you, almost everyone is going to want to meet you." Link shook his head.

"I had the same thing happen to me with the Gorons, and they had a feast and games that lasted for almost two days."

"Wow, that sounds really cool! You have to tell me more!"

"Indeed," The king interjected, beckoning them to follow him as he made his way past them to the stairs. "You'll have to tell me more of your endeavors in detail. How is Chief Darunia faring these days?"

~0~

The celebration that followed was quite different from the one that had taken place with the Gorons. While the mountain folk had been quite boisterous, and had taken part in many games, the Zora were much more reserved and formal, and demonstrations were of song, dance, art, and even a play based off a telling of their old histories, which he found quite interesting. Still, Link and Navi found it all quite enjoyable, with a chance to be sociable, learning more of this aquatic race, and a chance to recoup from his exertions, as well as indulge in new, and unfamiliar delicacies.

True to the king's words, he sat beside the ruler of the Zora, and the princess had elected to sit on his other side. Initially, he had wondered what it would mean to sit between royalty, as if he were royalty himself. His reservation quickly dissipated, however, with the people's acceptance of the seating at the beginning of the feast without a second thought. If anything, they found it appropriate, and as Ruto had said, practically every Zora had come up to the table, first bowing to their king, their princess, and finally bowing even to him, before finally engaging him with evident delight. After this had been done, and the celebration formally began, he once again launched a retelling of his adventures, this time free to embellish, and he answered many questions throughout. Ruto particularly was keen to know more, asking plenty enough questions for the two of them, the king being content to listen, adding a comment here or there. Navi found it agreeable to engage in the story as well, speaking nearly as often as he did, fueling each other. To any observing and listening, there was little doubt left that the two were true partners indeed, Kokirian and fairy.

Inside Zora's Domain, there was little to indicate the passage of time, but later he learned the feast lasted all through the night and well into the next day. Thoroughly exhausted by now, he was provided a room normally reserved for royal family members, complete with its own heated bath, a small study, the largest bed he had ever seen, a fresh new tunic perfectly identical to his own, and was delighted to find his Hylian shield had been moved to the room as well, fully restored. Navi went to sleep right away, but Link found it appropriate to take full advantage of the amenities provided, washing himself more thoroughly than he had for quite some time, and somehow found the energy to browse some of the books on the shelf in the study. He had learned his letters in the forest, but he had never found much reason to use them, even since leaving the forest. These books proved to be difficult to read as a result, and nearly all of them were on subjects foreign to him anyway, so he quickly gave up and went to bed.

When he woke the next morning and opened his eyes, he found Navi staring at him close by sitting on her knees.

"Another dream?" She asked, standing up and walking over. He sat up and wiped his eyes, collecting himself.

"How did you know?"

"Because you've been tossing in your sleep more often. I've noticed you do that." She hopped up onto one of his knees and sat down. "So, was it the same one as last time, or was it different?"

"Same. But this time there was more."

"More? What happened?"

He didn't speak at once, but she didn't press him. She could tell he was thinking, searching for the right words.

"The dream was all the same, until the end. After I saw the Triforce split, I saw the Temple of Time, but it was like the castle, with dark skies and the gardens in front were all dead. It wasn't broken though, like the castle, just, worn. But it wasn't scary or anything, like the rest of the dream. It felt like… like I was being called there, like that's where I have to go."

Navi watched him as he spoke, examining his facial expressions for any more clues. The last words he said gave her more pause. The feeling of being called. That was much less common than simple visions. Something big was coming; even she had begun to feel it. But she couldn't tell if it was something good or bad, either. She frowned. That usually meant both.

"If that's what you felt, then we should probably go there. We have all three Spiritual Stones now, we should hurry to the castle and meet the princess again. She's sensitive like you are too, remember? She might have more insight in this than we do. She was able to interpret her dream she told us, maybe she can interpret yours as well."

Link nodded his assent, and motioned his intent to get up. Navi hopped off, landing by the bedside table as Link rose and properly outfitted himself. He was slipping into his boots when a knock came from the door.

"It's open," He answered, standing up.

It was Ruto who stepped inside. She closed the door behind her before she faced him properly, smiling warmly.

"Good morning, did you two sleep well?" She asked, giving him a hug before sitting down on the bed beside him, prompting him to take a seat as well.

"I did, Navi was asleep before I was," he looked at Navi, who shrugged.

"I slept well enough, I was up before you a good three hours, lazy."

"I'm amazed you didn't need more of it," Link retorted. Ruto chuckled.

"Glad to see you two in good spirits. You'll be leaving us today then?" He nodded.

"We have to get back to the castle. After that though… I don't know what will happen after that." He shrugged. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see." Navi nodded in agreement. Ruto turned to face him.

"Then, if your quest is over, will you come back?" She asked. "You'll always be welcome here, of course, you're practically a hero to the Zora, and, well…" She grew quiet, looking down. Her face wasn't entirely hidden though, and Link could clearly see she was blushing. For a second he stared, before it finally dawned on him. She liked him!

He was certainly awake now, as his mind raced to grasp the knowledge fully. They had only met two days ago, how could she possible like him like that? To be fair, he did save her life, and he had slayed a giant Barinade in front of her, saving their patron deity in the process…but still! And she was the Zora princess, and he was…well, he couldn't call himself just a Kokirian anymore, could he? Like she had said, he was a hero to them now, and to the Gorons, and even the Hylians, unwittingly. OK, so he had some status, which was odd to think of in itself, but then…no, he was coming up with excuses. She liked him, and there was no reason for her not to pursue him, he realized. That was why she had given so much of her attention to him, wasn't it? But, what about himself? That was a more difficult question to answer, and one he didn't have time to think about right then and there. At the very least, he could say he did like her.

"I'll come back, sure, promise," he finally said, only a few moments later. "And I'll be able to stay longer too," he added with a smile.

"Oh yay, that would be wonderful!" She hugged him again, much more tightly than before. When she pulled away, she no longer had any trace of blush, but she did have a much happier smile than before.

"You talked to your father then?" he asked. She was supposed to have been getting married the day before, he remembered, but that had obviously not been able to happen.

"Mhmm, I told him exactly what I told you. He was so shocked he couldn't say anything!" she smirked, pleased with the knowledge. "So he called it off and told me I could choose who I wanted. And you know what, he actually laughed and told me my mother was the same way, I had no idea she actually refused my dad when he asked, twice!" She laughed now, and hopped off the bed. "I guess it runs in the family."

Link slid off the bed as well, and Navi slipped off the edge of the table, spreading her wings and catching herself in mid-fall to fly up to his side.

"We should see the king before we go. Does he even know we have the Spiritual Stone?" Navi asked, looking to the princess for an answer. She nodded.

"He knows, yes, I told him it was for your quest like you told him, so he understands it's not a betrothal gift." At the mention of that she faltered a little, before quickly heading towards the door. "We can go see him now though, if you'd like. I have to tend to Lord Jabu-Jabu soon, so I'll come with you."

"She's fallen quite hard for you, hasn't she?" Navi softly teased.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" he groaned, picking up his Hylian shield with a little more forced purpose than necessary. She snickered.

"Of course not."

He sighed but said nothing, instead joining the princess outside the room, and the two made their way through the ornate cavern. Several Zora passed them on the way, every one of them bowed to each of them and pleasantly voiced their respects. Link still found the experience strange, believing he did not deserve it despite the evidence to the contrary. He had told this to Ruto last evening, and she had found it quite amusing, even as she assured him given time he would grow accustomed to it. After perhaps the fifteenth Zora had passed them by – he had lost count – he wondered just how long it would take, if he even got used to it at all.

Minutes later the two of them ascended the long flight of stairs into the chamber where the king resided. Seeing their arrival, he beckoned them forward.

"Ah, master Link, and Navi too," the king merrily welcomed them into the throne room. "It is good to see you again, I trust you found our accommodations satisfactory?" Link nodded.

"Yes Your Majesty, we wanted to thank you before we left." Princess Ruto made her way to stand by her father's side, to which he reached around to embrace her for a moment.

"My daughter has already informed me that you now possess our race's treasure, and I do approve and give you my blessing as you take it with you. You have done us a service deserving of it, after all. I wish you good fortune on your travels, and know again you are always welcome here in our halls, zora."

Both Link and Navi bowed and thanked him again, bade farewell to both King Zora and Princess Ruto, and departed back down the stairs.

"I hope he comes back soon," Ruto mused aloud, and before her father could say anything turned and made her way to the fountain.

"May the goddesses watch over him," he said to no one. If Ganondorf was after the stones, he prayed he would never find the Kokirian.

~0~

Stepping out from behind the waterfall that hid Zora's Domain, Link looked back at it with renewed appreciation, knowing above him, not much farther, was Zora's Fountain, the source of Hyrule's rivers, and Lake Hylia. He had yet to see that lake, but he was sure he would one day.

Within the canyon, the morning light had yet to reach, and the air was still cool with the mist from the fall. He took a deep breath, and found his partner.

"Do you think we'll be actually done when we return to Zelda?" he asked, taking the first steps back down the river trail. Navi shook her head.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. It's true that we were only tasked with searching for and recovering the stones, and we have. But if your dreams mean anything at all, I expect our aid may be required again." She paused a moment, and smiled. "You've proven yourself to be an exemplary individual, the Great Deku Tree would be proud." Link smiled as well, but shook his head.

"No, not just me, you too – I would never have gotten this far without you. I'm glad he chose you to be my partner."

Navi received the praise in silence, but she was gladdened by his words. She remembered how when they had first started out she had been, well, not the friendliest. Admittedly, she had been skeptical at first of his potential, but he had grown on her speedily, and she could say with confidence, out of all the other Kokiri she had met, she wouldn't want any other to be her partner. After a few minutes of silence between them, Link spoke up again.

"This dream I've been having…You said a few days ago that you've felt a sense of something wrong too. My dream is, well, it looks and sounds bad, but it's vague, I was wondering if what you felt was different."

Navi did not immediately answer, instead she landed on his shoulder and sat there, thinking how to describe it. She had not expected him to ask such a questions, and indeed she herself had not given it much more thought beyond recognizing it for what it was. Despite that, she had to admit it was actually a good question, for he was right; his dreams, terrible as they sounded, were hardly clear, and his feelings were caused by the dreams, not emanating from the dreams themselves. With the exception of this last one, with the Temple of Time, that was. But that was different.

"I had described it as a sense of disquietude, if I recall correctly," Navi finally began. "But that may have been wrong, thinking on it now. It still applies, certainly, but it's more than that, I think. I can tell whatever is going to happen, it's going to affect the world, and negatively. Hence the uneasiness. Remember how the Great Deku Tree described it, when you were summoned with me, as a climate?"

"Yeah?"

"He wasn't wrong to call it that. Just like how the world has climates—general weather patterns, seasons, etcetera—magic flowing through the world, deep magic especially, creates its own 'climate' that sensitive beings can, well, sense. For spirits like us fairies, or the Great Deku Tree, we can consciously perceive it, almost like a sixth sense."

"That's why you knew where the Great Fairy was, and Lord Jabu-Jabu being something like a deity," Link commented, stating it as a fact. Navi nodded.

"Exactly, where magic pools, you can feel the shift in the world. The same thing can happen with big historical events, or with what people like to call destiny. Some things are meant to happen or be, and the world itself will actively work to bring about such things. When it does, that climate shifts accordingly. Usually such changes will take years, sometimes decades or even centuries."

"So my dreams might be telling me what's going to happen in years?" Link asked, not very pleased by the sound of that. If he had to deal with these dreams for years to come, he would rather not dream at all.

"Normally I would say yes, but I think this time is different."

"How come?"

"Because of the rapidity of the change. Think about it, you started sensing something was wrong before Father summoned you only months before, and after leaving the forest you've been having this dream, and it's gotten rapidly stronger and more vivid. That's no coincidence, the climate is just shifting that fast. I've been sensing it too, and it moving this fast is part of why it makes me so uneasy too. It's like watching a massive storm roll in, the kind that would come through the forest once in a while that would uproot trees. Seeing them, you can't help but be a bit frightened of it because you know what those kinds of storms can do."

Link nodded wordlessly, his face turning grim. He understood what Navi was talking about, those kinds of storms were not common, but they weren't exactly rare either. The Great Deku Tree himself would warn the Kokiri of such storms approaching, and they prepared accordingly. Nothing was ever left out, and windows and entrances were boarded, and many would often stay with others. If anything happened and you were alone, no help would come until the storm passed. The devastation left behind in a matter of hours was awesome. What Navi, he, and Princess Zelda were sensing was something that felt like that, about to happen to the whole world. He liked his dreams even less now. As he thought about it, he remembered their meeting with the princess. He stopped short on the trail, and turned to his partner.

"Zelda's dream! She saw clouds like that, didn't she? And my dreams…they have clouds like that too!" Navi nodded.

"You both recognize what's coming. The princess believed those dark clouds to represent Ganondorf, but I'm inclined to believe it's greater than that. He might be a part of it, or even its cause, but the dark energy that's growing is greater than any man. But remember she also saw us in her dream, and a beacon of light over us that cut through that darkness? It could very well mean that we are who stands against the darkness. That has me believing even more that we won't be done yet."

"I guess it's not all bad then, huh?" Link smiled. "Whatever bad thing is supposed to happen, we're going to stop it."

Spirits were a little higher after that for the two of them, and the morning passed into afternoon without incident, and at last they arrived at Hyrule Field. The weather had remained pleasant, and they had made good time. They both knew they would not make it to castle town before sundown though, and had planned over lunch to make their way back to Kakariko. Looking out over the field though, another idea came to Link.

"Hey Navi, what do you think about Lon Lon Ranch instead?"

Navi followed his gaze toward the ranch, then looked up to the sky, judging the time. Looking back towards him again, she nodded.

"We could make it, it's not much farther than Kakariko is. Why though?" She grinned. "Is it Malon, maybe?"

"No!" he answered, a little too quickly. He could already feel his face turning red. "It's not…I just like it there better, and it's closer to the castle than Kakariko, and…" He let the sentence die, for Navi was far too busy laughing at his reaction.

"OK, sure, I can give you that last one," She finally managed to breathe out, still trying to rein in her fit. "It is a little bit closer. You sure you don't want to admit you like Malon, or do you like Ruto more?" Her laughing fit returned even more strongly than before as his face turned an even darker shade.

"I swear Navi I will use you for a night lamp," he growled, storming towards the ranch. Navi ignored the comment, in far too good of a mood to take any offense. She did relent teasing him further though, having no desire to be used for a light source.