~Feeling Stubborn~


"Can't I throw just one into the fire? C'mon, it would be funny."

Navi looked over the skull kid in exasperation. No matter how many times she said it, he seemed to forget the concept of respecting other people's things just a few minutes later. The lack of discipline for the lonely forest dweller was showing, and it was driving her absolutely nuts.

She let out a long breath. "No, Link. We've already been over this. I know your kind thrives on mischief and childish pranks but destroying people's things goes beyond what's okay. Try to get some sleep."

The wooden boy grumbled something about not being tired slowly pulled his hand away from the book he had been eying. He trod back over to the bed, flopped down, and rolled over on his side, facing the wall.

Navi caught herself growing increasingly concerned by his growing frustration and disdain. Just earlier today, he had been so receptive to her teachings on the wrongness of trespassing, even if he did not seem to totally get it. But the longer they were cooped up in this house, the more antsy and gripey he seemed to get. If her sense of time was right - and she suspected it was, as fairies have a very good sense of time - then then they had been in here less than two hours. It took not even two hours for boredom to turn to mischief.

Still, the rain seemed to be letting up. A bit more time, and they could leave if he really wanted. Sure, they'd be traveling in darkness, but darkness did not slow him down that much. Even Impa seemed to have plans to travel in the dark. Time was of the essence; they could handle anything the dark threw at them. Hopefully.

"Okay Link, you know what? Why don't you start getting your things together, we should be able to leave-" She cut off as she flew over to the other side of Link and realized the light of his eyes had gone dim, leaving two dark, empty holes. Huh, for all his insistence he must have fallen asleep after all. And although they were in a hurry, and she wasn't even sure how much skull kids needed to sleep; it could not hurt to let him rest.

Navi smiled slightly, hovering above him, then fluttered down to his feet to attempt to lift and pull a sheet over him, only sort of succeeding. With Link taken care of, she poked herself up under his hat, settling amongst the fabric.

"Sweet dreams, Link."


Link could not be certain how long he had been out of it, but it must have been some time. As his sight flickered back, his eyes coming to light, he could see beams of light filtering through the dense canopy of leaves above him.

He shifted in the wooden cranny he had settled down into. Huh. This wasn't the soft grass and leaf bed he had created for himself. So where…

Soft, unfamiliar laughter sounded somewhere above him. His head slowly tilted upwards. A green-clad girl was seated on a root above him. Her face was soft, and round, and fleshy - unlike the bark of his or any other skull kids - framed neatly in hair as green as the outfit she was wearing. He quickly realized that she must be a kokiri.

He let out an alarmed cry, springing to his feet. His sudden movement seemed to catch her off guard as well. She gasped, flinching. Her reaction put him in a defensive state, backed into a corner. He shrank back, trying to appear smaller as he stared up at her, not daring to let his gaze falter away, lest she make sudden movements. Was she afraid of him? Or was he the one that was afraid? Afraid of being caught where he wasn't supposed to be? Afraid of being of being driven away? What was he afraid of?

Her face shifts into a more neutral expression. He laughs nervously, hoping it would show her that he meant no harm. There's a pause, and then she smiles. He laughs more. She laughs. She hops down in front of him. Her mouth moves like she's saying something, but all that comes out is more laughter. His laughter slows to a stop. He can't make out her face anymore.

She charges forward, hands grabbing hold of his shoulders. Where she makes contact, it feels like he's burning.

"Saria!?"

He panics, attempting to pull away, but her hands curled around him, digging into his skin, flecks of amber oozing up around the wounds. On some level, he's aware now that it's a dream; kokiri can't break through his tough skin just like that. But in the moment, it doesn't matter.

The burning sensation begins to spread, tendrils spreading deep into his body, and branching out into more threads of searing pain.

The kokiri leans down, malice in her eyes and hisses a single word.

Link startled awake with a gasp, sitting up as his eyes flickered to life. He hears Navi somewhere nearby, letting out a cry of protest at the sudden movement. His hands gripped the bedsheet like vices.


He's still in Impa's house. Just a dream. Just a nightmare about Saria.

There is little light, besides the soft glow of his eyes. He thinks he sees the slight glow of a candle on the floor below. And perhaps a small amount of light leaks from the moon through the window.

Wait, the light from the window… The skull kid sprang up from the bed, dashing over to look out the window. Sure enough, the rain had stopped, and most of the cloud cover had cleared.

"Navi!" He cried out. "We stayed over! We gotta go!"

His outburst caused someone to groan and shush him from below. Apparently, the other people in the house had drifted off to sleep at some point.

Link ignored the protest, scampering down the stairs to where his drying clothes had been sat out beside the stove. Though they were still slightly damp, he took them anyways, stuffing them into his bag carelessly. He tugged on his boots in a rush, and then he was out the door, unaware of Impa watching the excitement unfold.

"May the goddesses light your path and make your journey swift," the woman murmured before heading out the door for her own trip.

The short trip back to Hyrule Field was uneventful, the pair traveling quietly under the moonlight. At least, until Navi broke the silence.

"Hey, Link, are you sure you don't need any more rest? You were only asleep for maybe a few hours at most."

The skull kid shook his head. "I'll be fine. I don't really need much sleep. I mean… resting helps me be more energetic and kinda helps me heal faster if I'm conserving energy by sleeping, you know? But I don't need it to live."

Navi considered his statement for a moment. "I suppose that makes sense… Being undead does probably mean you need none, or at least less of things that living creatures need. But what about food, do you really need to eat then?"

In response to her question, Link shrugged. "I don't know, it feels right though."

The fairy was dissatisfied with his answer, but accepted it none the less, sensing that she would get no clear response. "Well, fairies do need sleep. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to fall asleep again. When you reach the river, go against the flow of the water, okay?" Once he nodded in response, she let out a hum before ducking back under his hat, leaving the skull kid in silence.

He found himself thinking about the conversation he just had. It had never bothered him before, being undead. So were all the other skull kids. Kokiri did not seem to care too much. And deku scrubs had no problem with it at all. But out here in the world outside the forest? He found himself uncertain. The hylians had given him mixed responses, but the gorons did not seem to care. Then again, none of them really knew what he was.

So maybe the kokiri did care. Maybe they just put up with them all this time? Did Saria secretly look upon him with disgust?

Could he really face returning to the forest after this epiphany?

Dirt and stone gave way to grass. He had been so engrossed by his thoughts, that he had not realized he had made it back to Hyrule field. The reflection of moonlight in the distance and the sound frogs told him where his destination was. Eager to get his mind off of uneasy thoughts, he rushed ahead, stopping just at the shore of the lazy river, close enough for water to flow around the toes of his boots.

He peered down at the murky waters, then crouched to reach a hand down into the murky waters, feeling the tug of the waterflow. In the dark like this, it wouldn't hurt to check the direction. Satisfied, he smiled and stood up, carefully inching his way along the grass and mud and roots along the riverbank, slowly following the water against its flow.

For some time, he was able to follow the river without trouble, carefully avoiding holes and dips in the ground. Once or twice, he thought he caught a glimpse of stalchildren playing in the field on the other side of the river. But he never tried to swim across to join. For one thing, he could not tell how deep the river was in the cover of darkness, and the current was strong enough that he would likely be swept away in its flow. But also, he almost kind of felt like he needed to be alone at the moment.

But before long the sky began to lighten, tinged a rosy color by the rising sun, the clouds having thinned to wisps. It was here that he had to temporarily halt his journey. In the dawn light, he could see that he'd reached a branch in the river. If he were to follow his current path, the river would take him through a cave. But a second fork flowed, veering sharply away.

Link reached up under his hat to tap at the fairy inside, hoping to get her attention. "Hey, um… Navi."

"Mm… no listen to… ten more minutes…" the fairy incoherently mumbled. He poked at her harder, and harder still until he felt her tumble off his head and down into the bottom of his hat with a startled cry, pulling the hat down with her as she fell to the mud. She struggled to free herself from the cloth-covered darkness, finally managing to untangle herself and fly out.

"Link! What was that for?!"

Link paused to pick up his hat, then wordlessly pointed at the branch in the river before crouching to run his hat through the water in an attempt to clean it off.

"Which way?"

"Oh." Navi fell silent, flying forward until she was hovering several feet above the branch in the river. "Well… Wait here for a moment." Before he had a chance to protest, she took off up the smaller fork, leaving Link alone in silence to wring out as much water as he could from his hat before unceremoniously returning the damp cloth to his head.

Navi returned to his line of sight not much later, deciding to rest on his shoulder instead of inside the damp hat. "I think we need to go through the cave. That side appears to be flowing downstream, branching out from the cave.

Link considered her observation before giving the fairy a nod and beginning his trek. Though he still had to be careful, he now had to be less so than before; it was just bright enough now that he could make out the way in front of him. But his pace slowed once again as he entered the cave, his vision once again limited. He kept one hand against the left cave wall, taking note of the sound of rushing water to his right. A couple times, he found himself having to climb up a steep slope.

But before long, sunlight came into view in the tunnel's end. He scurried ahead, eager to escape the encroaching darkness.

The tunnel opened up on the other side into a ravine, tall stone-and-dirt walls at least five times his height surrounding him on every side. His side was a cliff jutting out above the water. To his left, a wall and to his right, the river hugged against the other wall. Ahead of him, the crumbled stone remains of an old gate was strewn about the path, a pile of rubble that he would have to climb to pass. But surprisingly, at the top of the path was someone that was beginning to become a familiar sight: the wizened giant bird, Kaepora Gaebora.

"You again?" Navi exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I know you seem to have taken interest in Link, but are you following us?"

The bird ruffled his feathers, waggling his head. "Hoo hoo, now, is it really following if I'm here first?" When his question went unanswered, he continued. "Well, now, you'll be happy to know that you're on the right track. Just ahead lies Zora's Domain." His tone darkened slightly. "Oh, but I'm afraid you may find it difficult to receive help from them at this time."

"It can't be any harder than what we had to do to get the Goron's Ruby," Navi protested.

"I'm afraid it may just be," the bird countered. You see, a certain important member of the zora royal family has gone missing. You won't find any help here unless you manage to find her. If you wish to find her, I suggest you speak with Jabu Jabu, the zora's guardian spirit, and bring with you an offering."

"What Kind of… offering?" Link asked.

"I'm afraid you will have to determine that on your own, I am certain you will be capable of figuring something out. But first, we must get you inside. Hoo, you see, the zoras serve Hyrule's royal family by protecting this water source. Their door will not open for anyone except those who have some connection with them."

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Navi said. "Do we still have that letter Zelda gave us, Link?"

The boy tilted his head up, bringing a finger up to his chin. "Um… no I think that guard kept it, actually."

"Oh. Well…" Navi hesitated. "That should be fine. We can try playing Zelda's song. It worked for the gorons so it should work here, I think."

Link gave the fairy a nod. That seemed reasonable. He reached down into his bag to thumb anxiously at the wooden instrument.

Kaepora Gaebora let out an impressed trill. "It sounds like you already have an idea of what to do. Well then, don't let me slow you down any longer. Remember, you are capable of great things, young hero-to-be. I expect to see you again soon." Satisfied, the bird took off, lifting high into the air and circling a couple times before finally flying away.

Link watched until he was out of sight, then turned his attention to the rubble in front of him. He took a moment to adjust his bag, and then with a running leap, he began to scramble his way over the broken stone. Oh, how he wished he could teleport right now, becoming one with nature to warp to the other side.

Much of his morning was spent in near silence like this, only punctuated by his footsteps and Navi calling out the direction he needed to head. The route up the river was in no way set, and he found himself having to leap across gaps and wade through the shallower parts of the river to continue his upstream journey. Several times, he barely made the jump from solid ground to solid ground, his feet scrabbling just inches from rushing water as he pulled himself to safety.

The two stopped for lunch in the mid-afternoon on one stone pillar that raised out of the water, watching the sun slowly creep along, and watching fish swim through the waters with little care.

"How much further, do you think?" Link asked between mouthfuls.

Navi turned away to avoid looking at Link's meal of bug legs. "It can't be much further, I hope. It wouldn't make sense for it to be too far away, if they guard Hyrule's water. At least, I think so."

The skull kid hummed in agreement before taking another bite out of his food. He began to reach in his bag for the ocarina. Perhaps he could play it to pass the time, or maybe even talk to Saria and Skull Kid. But he hesitated just before his fingers made contact, a lingering doubt in his head.

"What do we do if they won't let us in?"

"They'll let us in," Navi said.

"But what if they don't?"

"They will," she insisted. "But if they don't, we'll just have to figure something else out. Surely Zelda or Impa would have a backup plan."

"I hope so..."

He remained quiet for the rest of the meal. And even afterwards, when they continued upriver. Fortunately, the rest of their trip was not nearly as difficult. The uneven ground soon gave way to a bridge. He crossed it with renewed vigor. Beyond it, a path on one side by stone and on the other by a fence lead him upwards and around a corner, veering slightly away from the river.

As he rounded the corner, the sight that came into view made his jaw go slack in surprise. The path cris-crossed in front of him, coming to a stop in front of a great, roaring cascade of water. Spray splashed shallowly on stones below, that pooled widely before narrowing out together into the river. He slowly continued down the path, awestruck by the view - far bigger than anything similar in the forest. It was… awe inspiring, really.

There was just one problem… the path came to a stop completely at the waterfall, and the stone on either side was damp and sheer, absolutely not fit for climbing.

"If this is the end, then where…" he started to mumble as he continued to the grass. Until his feet stepped on something that made a different noise. Something much more solid and firm than grass and dirt and mud. He paused, stepping back once to look down. At his feet was a carved stone slab, a familiar trio of faded, golden triangles on the surface. He bent down, running a finger on a particularly faded triangle. This must have been here for a long time, but no one had come by to upkeep it recently.

An idea struck him. If this was related to the royal family, then…

He let out an excited noise, fingers fumbling in his bag for the ocarina. No sooner than it was in his hands, it was up to his lips, letting out the melancholy tune of Zelda's Lullaby. Please, please let this work.

For a moment, nothing happened. Dejected, he put his ocarina way. But then, he began to hear a low rumble. Alarmed, he stiffened, eyes darting to and fro. Before locking onto the waterfall. To his surprise, the water slowly began to part from the center, leaving the middle exposed. But even more surprising, was the waterfall's secret. Behind it, a square- cut cave had been revealed.

The answer was obvious: he sprang forward into the opening, slowly, the water behind him began to cover the entrance again He could only hope that he was right.

"How'd they do that?" He mumbled to Navi.

"Magic, probably."

He walked in near darkness for several minutes, only his eyes and Navi's guiding light to lead them. But soon, the tunnel opened into a new, awe inspiring sight.

Zora's Domain was made up of a huge system of caves. The tunnel had led up into a great cavern filled with water. Great clumps of glowing moss grew on the damp walls, providing light along with torches to the cave. Above him, the reflection of water danced on the cavern roof. A few stone islands dotted the indoor pool below, most of them empty save for a torch or moss.

Link slowly looked around as he stepped further in, his footsteps echoing in the cavern halls. The walkway curved around the cavern wall to his right, a good distance above the pooling water below. He paused at the edge to look down at the bright watery surface, only to stumble back and let out a cry of alarm as something sprang up from the depths, grabbing hold of the cliff edge and scrambling over to the top to get a look at him.

The creature was at least a head taller than him, covered in pale blue scales, with darker splotches in spots on his head and arms. Large fins tapered off of their arms, the ends waving slightly with their movement. Perhaps the oddest thing about him, in Link's opinion, was his head. The back of his head extended out further than any other species he had met thus far, curving and tapering until it met into small fins that reminded him of a fish tail.

Based on what he had been told thus far, he could only conclude that this was a zora.

The fish person looked him over carefully, cautiously. "Are you the one that played the royal family's song?" he asked. His tone was watery, but Link could still make out his words. The skull kid nodded, prompting a surprised tilt of the head. "Oh, may I ask why you're here then?"

Navi answered for Link. "The princess sent us here. We were hoping we could speak with your royal family, about a sacred stone. Or perhaps to the zora's guardian spirit?"

The zora frowned slightly. "You're free to try, though you're unlikely to get anything out of the king right now." He pointed to his left, down the path. "Follow this down the way and around the corner, you'll come to the throne room. Lord Jabu Jabu resides just beyond that, though I doubt the king will allow you access right now."

"Why is that, if I may ask?"

"It's not really outsider's business, although since you're with the Hylian royal family, I suppose I can tell you. Our dear princess Ruto went missing three days ago now, and no one has been able to find her."

Link frowned, rubbing the back of his hand anxiously. He had already known some of the information, but now he knew more about the situation and had a better idea of what he was getting into.

"Thank you for letting us know," Navi said. "We will see what we can find out. We may even be able to help."

"Well, good luck to you, and I hope you're able to enjoy your stay here." With that the zora backed up and flipped over the edge of the cliff, dropping into the water with a large splash.

Link began to make his way down the path as instructed, turning to the left when he came up to a fork. The other path had curved further down, towards the water. But this one headed up, a flight of stairs ahead.

"Zora's Domain is quite pretty; don't you think Link?" Navi said, fluttering just a few feet ahead.

"Hm? Oh, I guess so. It's too damp."

"Does water really bother you that much?"

"It takes forever to dry out if it seeps down under my bark, and if I'm not careful, it could lead to rot."

"Better than being too dry and burning easily though, isn't it?"

"I guess that's fair."

The pair grew silent as they trudged up the final, long set of stairs, moving through a tunnel into a smaller open room. A platform raised atop a flight of stairs stood in front of them. A few inches of water flowed left into another tunnel along most of the floor. Several zoras were standing in this water with their backs turned to the skull kid and fairy duo. Instead, they had their heads tilted upwards to another blue figure, a great, fat creature sitting on a ledge above them, adorned in a cape and a jeweled crown.

"That must be the king," Navi whispered, landing on Link's shoulder.

"Are you sure? He looks totally different from everyone else."

"Shh, listen."

"Has there been any sign of my daughter?" The large zora asked, his tone urgent.

One of the zora's shook his head. "None so far, sir. We've sent a party to Lake Hylia. One of them is to speak with the man with an observatory there, in hopes that he may have spotted the princess."

"What about Jabu Jabu, has he spoke any wisdom?"

"Jabu Jabu has refused to speak to us, sir. Ever since that gerudo man came to speak with the two of you, he's gone silent." The statement sent anxious murmurs up through the group of zoras.

Navi and Link shared a look with each other. Link mouthed the name "Ganondorf." So, he had already been here too. Link opened his mouth to say something, but Navi quickly hushed him as another zora spoke up.

"With all due respect, your highness, is it not possible that Ruto's disappearance, as well as Jabu Jabu's sudden silence, are connected to this Ganondorf? Both happened shortly after his visit after all."

The king said nothing at first, letting out an odd noise. But then he spoke in a troubled tone. "You raise a good point. However, it would be dangerous to jump to conclusions. It would be unwise of us to make an enemy with another ally of the hylians."

A third of the surrounding zora scoffed. "Since when have the gerudo ever sided with either the hylians or us. I say it's all a ruse." None of the other zora protested his statement.

Still, the king was adamant. "Historic enemies as they may be, the gerudo live in harsh conditions. We should always consider it possible that they have realized that there is more benefit in allying with Hyrule." He paused to look over the rest of the zora, as if daring them to question him. "If there is nothing else to be said, then please get back to work, the longer Ruto goes without being found, the more danger she's in."

He raised a hand, holding it out to the small group. "You are all-"

"Hold on!"

Link shank back against the cave wall as another zora came rushing by, seemingly so in a hurry that he did not notice him.

"Great King!" The zora called out breathlessly, holding up a bottle in one hand. "We- found something at Lake Hylia! A- a note from the princess!"

At once, the chamber was a flurry of activity, zoras approaching to get a better look at what the zora that entered was holding, concerned voices, alarmed calls. The zora that had brought the note - a slightly smaller zora with dark stripes on the back of his head, lacking the tail-like protrusion at the back of his head - had to back up and hold his item - a bottle - up in the air to avoid being overwhelmed."

"ENOUGH!" The king's voice rang out, bringing the clamor to a hush. Only once everyone's voices died down did he speak again, addressing the zora with the bottle. "Please, Mau, tell us what you found."

"Yes, of course your highness," the zora quickly said, struggling with the bottle to remove a damp piece of paper. "While we were scouring Lake Hylia, we found this bottle near the bottom of the lake with a note inside. We brought it back to the surface and discovered that it was in the princess' handwriting."

"Well, what did it say? Out with it!"

"Oh, right,"" The zora ran a hand sheepishly along the back of his head. "Ahem. It says to any dashing prince daring enough to look for me… Help me, I'm waiting for you inside Jabu Jabu's belly. Ruto."

At once, the room was a cacophony of voices.

"What?!"

"Why would Lord Jabu Jabu ever eat the princess?"

"This has to be a sick trick; someone must have kidnapped her and is just playing games with us?"

"What should we do?"

"Are we sure she actually wrote that letter."

"Your highness, what do you want us to do?"

Finally, the voices seemed to die back down, awaiting the king's response. The king was surprisingly silent for some time. When he spoke, his voice was quiet.

"I do not believe that Lord Jabu Jabu would ever do something like that. He would never harm my daughter. But… it is true that he's been behaving oddly in recent time… We cannot risk it. I want a team of zoras working on getting Jabu Jabu to tell us if he truly has devoured the princess. The rest of you, keep searching elsewhere. I pray that by Nayru's graces that this is only an incredibly cruel trick. Dismissed!"

Immediately zoras began scrambling about, spreading out into groups as most exited the throne room, some past Link, and others through the tunnel to the left. By the end, the only people remaining in the throne room were Link, Navi, the king, and a couple of attendants.

"Come on," Navi whispered. "Let's go ask for permission to help out."

Link shook his head in response, whispering back. "No, let's just do it. Kaepora Gaebora said we wouldn't get any help unless we helped first, and to speak with Jabu Jabu right? So, let's just do that."

"But how would we manage to speak to him if he won't even talk to his own people?"

"Simple, we bring him a gift, like the bird said."

"Don't you think they've already tried that?" When Link did not answer, Navi let out a sigh. "Okay, but what kind of gift?"

The question finally stumped Link. "Well… what would the Great Deku Tree have wanted if he was getting a gift?"

"That wouldn't help us Link. Really, why can't we just go talk to the king? I'm sure he would be willing to hear us out."

"I can figure this out on my own." Link turned and began to make his way back down the hall. "People like food, right? What if I brought him something to eat?"

"If he's a spirit, he probably doesn't need to eat."

"That doesn't mean it's not worth a try. Oh, I know, there's bound to be all sorts of fish here. Maybe that will work?"

Before Navi could protest, Link turned and scurried down the hall, taking the path down to the edge of the pool this time. To his left, a small cave entrance was lit by moss and torchlight, a bored looking zora leaning on a counter inside. Link ignored them, instead turning his attention to the shallow waters just beyond it. He splashed into the water, his footsteps sending a small splatter of droplets every which way. The water here was barely more than a deep puddle's depth, not even rising all the way above his boots.

He paused just a few feet in, scanning the water for any sign of movement. "There!" He called out, pointing to a small school of fish hanging in the slightly deeper water. Slowly he began to inch his way forward, aware of every single ripple his movement made on the water. Only when he felt he was close enough did he spring forward, nearly diving into the water to grab hold of one of the wriggling fish. Its tail slapped against him in a panic. He tightened his grip. Not daring to let go of the slippery, scaly creature.

Once he was sure he had a good grip, he stood up in triumph, the front of his tunic soaked.

"Hah! Got it!" He turned back to look at Navi, who let out a sigh.

"Fine, since you already put this much effort into it, we'll try your way. Come on, hurry!"

And back up the path they went, past the cave, up and around the curve, back up to the throne room. The king still seemed occupied, discussing plans a few zoras that had returned.

"Alright, let's go up and ask to be admitted," Navi said, raising up above Link's head.

But Link ignored her, instead making a wide arc around the side of the room. There was an exit just behind the king. It would be a tight fit, but he figured he could just barely squeeze through.

He tiptoed quickly, wanting the fish to still be alive by the time they reached Jabu Jabu. But perhaps the careful, methodical movements were a poor decision, because once one of the zora's noticed him, they drew attention to his suspicious movements.

"You there in the green, what do you think you're doing?"

Link froze, feeling all eyes turned on him. He was mere feet away from the gap now! He looked between all of the zora's faces, some more judgmental than others. "I was just…." He darted, making a dive for the exit.

"Stop them!"

"No wait! I swear it's not what it looks like!" Navi cried out, fluttering behind Link. "We just want to help! We thought maybe bringing Jabu Jabu a gift might get him to speak!"

"A gift? What if they're poisoning Lord Jabu Jabu!"

"Maybe they're the ones that took Ruto!"

Link let out a squeak of alarm, stumbling and struggling to speed up in the shallow water and on the slimy stone underneath.

"No, it's not like that!" Navi called out, but at the sea of angry faces rushing up the steps, she turned and fled with Link. "Never mind, there's no reasoning with them right now, just run!"

The skull kid darted through the waist-deep water as fast as he could wade, slowed down by the force of the water, and the water beginning to soak into his clothes, into him. The zora seemed far less concerned by the water. But there was still something that was impeding their pursuit.

"Your highness, please move!"

None of them were small enough to squeeze through the gap that Link had.

He could hear the slight splash as the king shifted aside. He had little time. Please please let Jabu Jabu vouch for him.

The small tunnel opened into evening sky. To his left, spiked wooden logs impeded his escape. In front of him was nothing but a stone wall. But to his right was a stone platform raised out of the water. And just beyond it, a huge fish far bigger than any creature he had ever seen, adorned by a head-dress filled with embedded blue gems nearly the size of Link's head, brightly colored fabrics hanging down from it.

"That's got to be Jabu Jabu!" Navi called out. "Quick, over there!"

Link pushed through the deepening water, nearly up to his chest now, until he made it to the underwater stone steps. He pulled himself out of the water, now face to face with the fish, and held the fish aloft.

"Hurry, they couldn't have gotten far!"

"Great Jabu Jabu!" Navi called out, a hint of alarm creeping into her voice. "We come requesting your help. We wish to find the princess and were hoping that our offering would convince you to help us!" She glanced back to the cave exit. "We would also request your help clearing our name. The zora think we may have something to do with the princess' disappearance. So please!"

The fish shifted for a moment, then stilled. Link stiffened, expecting to be turned away. He dropped the fish.

Jabu Jabu's eyes moved, taking notice of the flopping movement of the fish Link had brought him. Slowly, the great fish's moth opened, sucking in air. Link realized with alarm that that the force was strong enough to tug at him. He tried to pull back, to dig in his feet, but the force became too much, and he felt himself lifted off the ground. Suddenly he was flying through the air, and before he realized what had happened, the jaws snapped shut, leaving him in darkness.