Navi was staring at Link with worry. That injury, it was the worst she ever seen. All that, just for a lousy key. Link was bandaging up his ankle, luckily he carried strong medicine. Unfortunately, it looked like it will be awhile before he can go forward, so he gestured to Navi, he was pitching his tent.
Link lies down and tries to get comfortable. Sleep eluded him, he was too cold to sleep. Grimacing in pain, he reluctantly gets up to make a fire. Hopefully, the wood and rocks laying about weren't damp like the rest of the dungeon.
He knew he won't be able to go forward, he was too injured. Since there was nothing left to do, he opened the diary. He himself was curious, what happened at that Temple?
He waved to Navi who just finished drinking her tea. She flew to Link's shoulder, she was dying to know what happens to Darwyn and his friends.
Darwyn was so sure he was getting arrested. When he heard the knocking on the door, he walked up to the confused Zora when the door opened. He walked up to the Zora and got down on his knees.
"Tell the King, I hearby surrender." Darwyn didn't care what happens to him. Roana, she deserved better. The Zora's weren't royalty, but they may have well be.
The Zora just chuckled.
"It's been years since we had royalty. The Royal Family of the Zoras, they were all assassinated by the Goro during the War." He waves at the fisherman. "Pardon me."
Hann smiles at the young man.
"Sierida! It's been too long! Place has been too quiet! What have you brought me today. Hopefully, nothing too expensive."
The salesman sets down his heavy backpack.
"Ugh! There has to be a easier way. But I'm grateful I wasn't robbed. The Gerudo, they are ruthless. Ahem I have some arrows."
Darwyn walks away. He was relieved, the Zora, he didn't have the formal accent of the Zora Realm. He must be from down south. He went to lay down, he was exhausted. Hearing his stomach grumbling, he reluctantly gets up. Searching through his backpack, he realized he had no rations. He and the others ate it on the way here. Looks like he needs to fish.
Both Maribel and Rheda were already fishing, they were both talking with the salesman.
"Just how?" Rheda was curious. "You say you travel everywhere. Just how can you survive traveling without drying out?" She remembered seeing Darwyn's fiancée, she was currently in a coma.
"Thank your cousins, the pirates. They love to break in and steal our things. When they took my mother's necklace, I had no choice but to get it back. Wasn't easy, they live on the ocean's shores, but stay on the edge of the desert. I had to adjust. Long story short, I got captured by one of the guards. Luckily she was young. She was just doing her job. She helped me get my mother's necklace back, if I helped her escape."
"Why would a fellow Geruldo escape?" Rheda, she loved the fortress, she was considered a princess. Like her older sister, she was treated with respect. Being a pirate sounded exciting.
"It's not as glamorous as it sounds I'm afraid. All the pirates, they are expected to travel through the treacherous seas. Many don't make it when they try to head to the Temple in the middle of the ocean. Renee, the pirate I helped escape, confided in me she hated water and dreamed about living in town. Wasn't easy, both of us were chased and nearly arrested. If we were caught, I would have been imprisoned, and Renee would have been executed. They kept starving creatures in their base, feeding any prisoners or traitors to them."
Rheda didn't say anything. Her mom was tough, but she wasn't a murderer. But she had to ask.
"What happened to Renee? To you? I mean, you travel everywhere without worry."
"She got married to the man she fell in love with, a swordmaster named Zuri. After thanking me, she gave me a special mask. Whenever I wear it, I became someone else. It belonged to a Sheikah or Termina Hero. As far as anyone goes, the world sees me as a traveling salesman. I can travel without worry, no one will dare attack me while I wear it."
Rheda's eyebrows rose.
"She stole that mask from her mom did she."
"Yep. Her and her husband had to leave town to settle in the mountains. They knew they would have been slaughtered in their beds, especially when she was with child. That mask, she warned me to only use it whenever necessary, it was meant to be returned to the true owner, a mask salesman. She claimed it is evil."
Rheda waves to Darwyn.
"Darwyn! Come fish! We can all feast when we capture our fish!"
"Don't forget to weigh them!" The fishing owner calls.
"Your home sounds so magnificent. Why leave?" Mirabel dreamed about traveling, but didn't want to leave her family and home.
"As much as I love the Great Bay, it was too limited. Being around the same people, doing the same things, I got bored. I used to go to the Great Bay Temple with my friend, the Giant Turtle. There, I discovered my lust for adventure. My friend, when she gave me that mask, it allowed me to achieve my dreams. Now that I travelled to every corner of the world, I am ready to settle down and make a home for myself."
Both women smile. They weren't picky, both would have dated the Zora salesman. Seeing Darwyn and Roana, they knew true love existed, even with different species. Once Darwyn came to join them, all four spent all night talking and fishing.
"I'm stuffed." Rheda was rubbing her belly. It was almost dawn, but she wasn't ready to go to bed. She was a thief, and was used to being up at odd hours. She wasn't planning on robbing anyone, Hann and Sierida were friends.
"Same here." Darwyn yawned. He liked Sierida, like him, he didn't discriminate against dating other species. He kept flirting with everyone. Even with Hann and Darywn. Sierida said love didn't discriminate, gender or species didn't matter. He told countless stories about his former lovers, he even admitted to dating a Goron man.
"Just...how?" Mirabel wasn't a racist, but she couldn't date a Goron. The size alone. They were huge.
Sierida winks.
"Won't you like to know." He yawned. "I'm getting sleepy." He looked at Darwyn. "I hope you don't mind sharing your tent."
"I grew up in a crowded house. Another person won't bother me." He just hoped he wouldn't get cold. He loved Roana, but her skin was chilly. Darwyn had to sleep with a thick blanket, luckily Roana didn't mind.
The fishing owner yawned as well, Mirabel already went to bed, she was tired. But she had a good time with everyone. Once he locked the front door, everyone went to their respected beds. Sierida was the last to sleep, he had to write down his latest adventures in his journal.
Sierida was probably the last friend Darwyn ever made. He helped save all of their lives. When the Zora came knocking later that day, he loaned Darwyn that mask to hide him. The Zoras, they were looking for him. The fishing owner denied seeing him, he claimed the white haired man in his shack was a traveler from far away. Once they left, Darwyn knew he had to leave. The Zoras, they had rights to the lake. Hann, he would be evicted and possibly jailed for harbouring a fugitive if they found out Darwyn was there. Sierida, he loaned them some of his items, with all three promising to pay him with the many treasures they find in the Temple.
"So you plan on entering the temple." He already went inside to check it out, promising not to take any treasures. "I'm afraid that would be impossible, the water is deep. Very deep. I saw etches there, even I would be limited."
"What do you mean?" Darwyn asked. He was thankfully disguised, he saw the Zoras watching the group with suspicion from the lake. Seeing Sierida, none approached. Hopefully they thought he was their escort.
"The etchings, they are part of a lever."
Rheda scoffed.
"A lever? Big deal. I used to repair machinery back at home."
"Same here. Remy and myself helped our dad with the ranch, you'll be surprised how many things broke down over the years."
"I'm afraid this is magical in nature." He looked at all three. "Do any of you carry a instrument? Preferably a Ocarina?" When all three shook their heads, he sighed.
"I'm a singer, will that help?"
"Not in this case. Even an ordinary ocarina won't help much, you will need a special Ocarina. Do any of you know anyone from the Hyrule Royal Family, preferably one of the children?"
"Why?" Where was Sierida going with this? Darwyn wondered.
"The Royal Family has a treasure, an Ocarina that can call the Goddesses. That Ocarina can open any magical doors. Is there anyway it can be borrowed?"
"Whoa." Navi was in shock. Even Link was surprised. He had that same Ocarina, it was a gift from Princess Zelda. They didn't think it was that old. They had a lot of questions, luckily the diary told the events.
Both looked up sharply seeing a fire keese. Knowing the diary would be destroyed if the fire keese lands on Link, he hid the diary under a rock. Grimacing in pain, he had no choice but to get up, more fire keese came in following their leader. He managed to read the first part of the next paragraph, it talked about the Princess.