Swept Away


Link soon realized that not needing to breathe was going to be a godsend here.

The dark, flooded tunnel was illuminated only by the light of the two skull kid's eyes. Ahead of him, Twin pinpricks of blue light picked up small particles suspended in the water, but beyond the light was only more darkness. Claustrophobia clawed at his chest as the weight of water tried to suffocate him. Even knowing he did not need to breathe, anxiety still burned in his chest, along with other emotions he couldn't quite place.

But eventually, the murky blackness seemed to lessen. Soon, a stone wall loomed in front of him. For a moment, he thought he'd reached a dead end. But, glancing up, he saw the ceiling slanting upward, and the faintest hint of light leaking from somewhere above. He pushed off the bottom and swam up and up, desperate to find the surface.

A pale blue glow greeted him as he breached. Reflections of the dazzling water reflected on stone walls. On one side of the pool, solid ground spread out invitingly. He scrambled out of the water, flopping onto his back. Skull Kid followed just behind and did the same.

For a moment, Link was content to lay splayed on the ground, letting water drip from his soaked tunic. Then he sat up and made a half-hearted attempt at squeezing out the water, only to give up and reach into his bag for the clothing Sheik had given him. Surprisingly, the blue tunic seemed much drier than anything else in the bag. He ran a hand along the fabric, noting a waxy coating. When he tried splashing a bit of water onto it, he discovered the reason for the wax: instead of soaking into the clothes, water rolled off in little beads.

Skull Kid glanced up from wringing out his own clothing and gave a slow shake of his head. "Change if you want," he grumbled. "I'm done with dumb clothing. I like my own just fine." To punctuate his words, he shook his whole body, sending droplets of water flying across the room.

Link ducked away. "Okay, okay! Didn't say you had to. Please stop getting water everywhere, I'm wet enough."

Skull kid just shook more in response, shooting Link a cheeky grin. Link scowled, though the anger wasn't really there. He took a few steps away, fishing into his bag for one of the tunics. One quick change later, he was ready to go.

Uniform, well-kept stone tiles heralded them forward out of the dark tunnel and towards soft, blue light. The end opened into a wide chamber with stone walls that appeared to be the source of the light. Throughout the stone, flecks of bright blue stone glowed, giving off enough light to see the room clearly. An ornately decorated pillar in the center took up most of the space, ringed with a thin walkway. Deep water rippled gently just below where they stood. Though it was generally quiet, Link could hear the occasional drip of water into water.

He walked up to the lip of their entrance, peering over the edge. Below, the water stretched so far that he could not see the bottom of the chamber. He could, however, make out at least one doorway in the pillar, several feet below the water line.

Backing up, Link's gaze darted briefly to the water before he focused on the far side again. With a running start, he bounded to the edge and leapt across the gap, each slap of boot against stone echoing. Skull Kid followed just behind. Perhaps a little too close – before Link could turn around, weight slammed into his back, sending both spirits tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and dangerous weapons.

"Careful!" Link yelped. "I got a bunch of stabby stuff!" He pushed his hand against Skull Kid's shoulder and, with a bit of wiggling, struggled free. Once he was up, he shouldered his bag before offering a hand to Skully, absentmindedly scratching his chest. His companion only giggled, though, and climbed to his feet on his own.

"Aww, a little stab wound wouldn't be that bad."

"Speak for yourself," Link muttered, but he chose to let it go and turned to walk around the narrow pathway. Around the corner, he found a door in the pillar, but as much as he tried turning the handle, pushing, and pulling, it wouldn't budge.

Around the next corner, the duo spotted a ledge on the other side of the hall. But after warping over for a quick check, Skull Kid reported that it, too, only led to a locked door.

"I think we're going to have to swim," he grumbled, crossing his arms and kicking at the ground as if kicking a stray pebble. Link wasn't exactly thrilled himself. The prospect of diving so deep was… unappealing. What if they got stuck? Or waterlogged? He wouldn't drown, sure, but spending a lot of time in the water couldn't be good for his health.

Once it was clear that all other routes were closed off, though, Link gave in and made his peace with the prospect. A brief pause to secure his bag, then Link jumped into the water. One hand remained against the side of the flooring for a moment, then he kicked off and began to swim downwards.

Deeper, deeper, deeper he dove, until he'd reached the sandy bottom. Even this far down, the stones glowed, providing necessary light. He felt a tug at his tunic and – with a bit of effort – turned. Skull Kid was behind him, beak twisted into a cheeky grin. Behind him was another tunnel, though this one was ever so slightly different. A line of darker stone divided the wall of the tunnel into a top and bottom section. Instead of the blue flecks, this tunnel had a green wave pattern that glowed the same way.

Okay, that has to be important, right? He thought, swimming towards the oddity. His hands gripped a slimy stone corner, then he propelled himself into the hall.

The hall led to a dead-end chamber. Or close enough to it; though there was a door at the end, it was also locked. Link opened his mouth as if to scream, onto quickly close it as water flooded in. The conspicuous pattern couldn't just lead to nothing, could it? That room had to be important, right? But there was nothing he could do here. Not now, at least.

Before he could storm off, though, Skully caught his attention. He pointed upwards before pushing off the floor. Link tilted his head upwards, realizing that there was more to the tunnel than he first thought, and followed.

Well… it's worth a shot, he thought.

Not a moment later, Link broke the surface in a small room. Water dribbled from his mouth as he paddled to the edge of the pool and, with some effort, dragged himself out. A cough expelled more water. He flopped onto his stomach then, once he no longer felt like spewing more water, rolled onto his back with a wet splat. For a moment, he was content to just lay on the floor.

Ugh, that's what I get for opening my mouth.

"Hey, what's this?"

Link groaned and rolled his head to the side. Skull Kid was on his tiptoes with a hand raised in the air, reaching for a metal lever that jutted out from a hole in the stone wall. He grabbed hold of it, then reached up with his other hand, pulling himself off the ground.

But before he could do anything else, the bar lurched under his weight and tilted down. Link pushed himself to a sitting position just as the ground began rumbling. Skull Kid dropped to the floor, eyes darting from side to side.

"I didn't do it!" Skully yelped.

Link replied with a slow shake of the head and opened his mouth, but the sound of sloshing water distracted him. He turned and crawled towards the pool they'd emerged from. In the few seconds that had passed, the water had dropped nearly a whole body-length from the top and was still draining quickly.

Skully came up behind him, looking over the edge. "I… guess that's a good thing?"

Link shrugged. "Maybe."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, and it's the only way to go, anyways."

Before Link could ask for clarification, a shove from behind sent him tumbling down the drop. He let out a scream, only cut off when he hit the water hard. Bubbles raced up around him as the current sucked him deeper. Seconds later, Skull kid belly flopped into the water. Mischievous eyes stared at Link before Skully dove down ahead of him. Finally snapping out of his daze, Link reoriented himself in the water and followed, pulled by the current into the big room.

Where's all the water going? He had a feeling he didn't want to find out.

By the time he was dragged into the main room, the water was nearly drained, with the surface only a few body-lengths above. Below, sand swirled and drifted, dragged by the same water that threatened to wash him away. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the roar of something that reminded him of the sound of a waterfall. He didn't want to find out if it really was a waterfall.

Alarmed by the pull, he kicked against the current, barely avoiding chunks of debris dragged past him. He dug his fingers into the sand, but it did little to slow his trajectory. Skull Kid bumped into him. Even he looked worried. The other spirit reached out and grabbed hold of his bag strap. It did nothing to stop them, but it kept them together. And then it gave Link an idea.

The hookshot.

The idea hit link like a sack of bricks. If he could just find a place to anchor the spike… Still kicking against the current, he threw his bag open and dug around in search of the right item. As soon as his hand closed around the handle, he made for the surface. The closer he got, the better he could hear the roar of cascading water. And not far away, either.

Sputtering as he emerged, he looked around wildly for something, anything he might be able to shoot the hookshot's spike into. A glance back made him gasp. The watershed to curve into a fall, not far from him. Turning the other way, he spotted an old, partially decayed torch not too far above them. There. That was his only hope.

With one hand, he grabbed Skully by the back of his tunic. With the other, he aimed the hookshot towards the torch and released the spring. The chain rattled as the spike whizzed through the air. He heard a satisfying thunk and the chain went taut.

"Hold on!" he called, pulling Skull Kid closer. As soon as his friend wrapped his arms around him, Link let go to grab the hookshot with both hands and let it pull him away from the waterfall. The chain reeled in slowly, gradually pulling them closer and closer towards safety. The water level continued to decrease, and though it was still draining at the same pace, it felt agonizingly slow. The torch lurched, making him tighten his grip. His fingers dug into his palms, threating to crack the bark. They almost directly below the torch now and were slowly being lifted out of the water.

How am I supposed to keep a grip like this?

He felt Skull Kid shift behind him, digging around in his bag. He glanced back and saw one of the heavy metal boots in Skull Kid's free hand. His friend shimmied around to begin sliding one foot inside.

"Skully, what are you doing?" he shouted over the water.

Skull Kid flashed a cheeky grin. "Don't worry, I have an idea! I'll just—"

Then just as suddenly as he'd begun drifting towards the waterfall, he came to a lurching stop. It seemed like the hookshot had caught on something?

Several feet ahead, partially obscured by a cloud of churned up sand, was Skull Kid, holding onto the chain and doing the best he could to wave as he stood still underwater. Seconds of stupor passed, then Link began to retract the hookshot again. As he was closer, he realized how Skull Kid was staying still; it was the metal boot. While it provided some weight while he was swimming, it hadn't weighed him down enough to sink. And yet, somehow now it was keeping Skull Kid in place like an anchor.

Link was silent, shaken, once he reached Skull Kid, keeping quiet as he waited for the water to finish draining. He tried to find words, but he couldn't. Skull Kid had saved him from being dragged down the waterfall… but he'd also put them in danger to begin with.

Skull Kid piped up before he found his voice, speaking once the water was shallow enough for Link to stand without being dragged away by the current. "That was exciting!" the spirit cheered. "We should do it again!"

Do it again? Really?

Link didn't answer him. Instead, he turned around and walked back towards the falls. The water was only about knee-high, now, and the current wasn't strong enough to sweep him off his feet. Still, he let Skull Kid keep hold of the other end of the hookshot, just in case.

He leaned forward, peering over the edge. A long way down, even further down than the shaft they'd swam up to find the lever, a deep pool of water churned. Although he was more durable than most creatures of flesh and even more than some spirits, he didn't like his chances of surviving a fall that far.

A whistle sounded to his side. He felt a hand clap him on the shoulder. "Long way down, huh?" Skull Kid said, grinning. "But no biggie. That was fun, wasn't it? Hey, do you think there's a way to fill it back up? Let's do it again!"

Link clenched his fists and gave Skull Kid an incredulous look. Fun? They'd nearly died, put in danger by Skully's rash actions – and not for the first time, either – and he wanted to do it all over again? Link felt a burning in his chest as frustration welled up. "Are you serious? NO! That wasn't fun. We could have died. All because you thought it'd be funny to push me off that ledge back there. What were you thinking?"

Skull Kid's eyes flickered. His posture immediately slumped from excited to meek. He averted his gaze poking his fingers. "Well, I just… It wasn't really that bad, was it?"

Link's expression soured further. Ignoring the tight feeling in his chest, he wrapped his fingers around the strap of his bag, shaking his head. "Never mind," he grumbled, turning away. "Let's just go."

"Are… are you mad?"

Link didn't answer.

Skull Kid opened his mouth to say something, then thought better and closed it. He followed Link deeper into the temple.


As it turned out, the Water Temple was just as difficult to navigate without the floodwaters as it had been with them. Long corridors twisted and turned back and forth, and several of the rooms they came across had multiple exits that needed to be thoroughly checked.

Link was silent for much of their exploration, making wordless judgements on what way to go and how to traverse any difficult areas. The further along he explored, the clearer it became that this temple was better kept than either of the other ones he'd visited; he'd yet to come across any rooms with crumbled walls or rotten wood flooring and some looked like they'd been visited and cleaned up not too long ago.

While strange, more curious was the lack of traps. Or any sort of way to slow trespassers down, save the confusing, winding halls.

…At least, none that he had to deal with. The few traps they'd come across had already been disabled. He wasn't keen to find out why.

As they made their way up the inclined slope of yet another hall the ground – no, the entire temple around them – began to rumble.

Alarmed, Link stumbled forward, nearly knocked off his feet by the force of the quake. Up ahead, he could hear the roar of rushing water. Against better judgement, he continued to stumble towards the sound. A shallow stream of water, hardly enough to be considered a puddle, trickled down the hallway. As he reached the top, his suspicions were confirmed; a cascading wall of water thundered in front of him, blocking the way out of the hall.

"Are you kidding me?" Skull Kid groaned, coming up beside Link. "Don't tell me we have to go all the way back!"

The daunting task of finding their way back through the winding halls sounded about as exciting as picking off hungry termites. But before he could turn away, the rumbling stopped. Only a moment later, the water flow lessened, soon little more than a trickle.

Not that it helped much. Link let out a groan as he realized they were on a ledge, overlooking the main room. Back where they started. Again. Though now, the room was perhaps half-full of water, with gentle waves lapping at the stone walls perhaps a body length below them. With a long, drawn-out sigh, Link jumped into the water.

He paddled his way towards another doorway, hoping he hadn't visited this one before. Perhaps by some stroke of fortune, he was correct. That didn't make the new room any less daunting.

He stood on a ledge on one side of the room, with another ledge directly across from him, partially obscured by the misty spray of water. The floor sloped steeply from either side, bottoming out near the center. A swift flowing river churned ominously at the bottom, fed into by water that tumbled down the stony slopes. Link could see no way to walk across, nor any way he could use his hookshot. Attempting to scale the slope would be a fool's errand; even if he made it across the river, he'd just be swept off his feet on the climb back up.

"Guess we'll just have to warp," Skull Kid said.

Link shot him an uneasy look. Was he serious? What if he lost control of his curse? For just a split second, the painful fire in his chest flared up, and he found himself urged to throttle the other spirit. But the thought vanished just as quickly, reigned in when he realized how horrifying that thought was. No. He had to keep all those negative feelings bottled up. He couldn't afford to lose himself here.

"Are… are you okay?" Skull Kid asked. "You've been acting really weird since we got here…"

"Fine," Link replied quickly, turning back towards the gap.

His eyes flickered out as he considered his options. Go back or move on. Take the risk to try this path or go back and see if he could find another one to check. After a moment of deliberation, he realized there was only one answer he could choose and live with.

"We'll… we'll try it," he said, walking up to the edge. Skull Kid tilted his head, perhaps a little surprised, and Link briefly felt another angry urge. It was his idea; he didn't get to be surprised when Link agreed. But Link quickly quashed the feeling, and in the same moment Skully ran forward and disappeared in a swirl of air.

Link took two steps backwards, then two more as he steeled his nerves. His gaze shifted to the alcove on the other side, and he focused. With a running start, he leapt into the air, calling on that forest magic. The air rushed around him. Then, suddenly, his feet hit solid ground again, and he was facing a doorway.

His chest seemed to throb. Pain shot through his limbs as he clutched at his tunic, his vision blurring, then darkening. Whispers wrapped around him, urging him to give into his darkest desires. To give in to his rage and his hatred. To get back at anyone that might have wronged him.

NO! Leave me alone! You can't control me!

It felt like eternity, but the whispers and the pain slowly ebbed away. He felt like he could move again. He was… on the floor? How had he gotten here? Sitting up, he realized Skull Kid was watching him, eyes flickering with concern. Yet, at the same time, he held his blow dart flute in his hands, as if expecting he may have to fight Link.

"I'm fine," Link rasped, climbing to an unsteady standing position. "We should keep going."

Skully stared at him a moment longer, before slowly stowing away his weapon. "Okay. Let's see what the next trap is." He did a comically rigid about-face and made for the door, holding it open for Link. "After you!" he said with a playful mock-bow.

The door opened into… open air? At least, it seemed to be some outside location. A dense fog rolled through the doorway, obscuring whatever might be inside. Link took a few hesitant steps inward. The muted sound of boots on stone transitioned to the splish-splash of shallow water. Ripples ringed outward, quickly being swallowed up by the fog.

As he continued further into the room, the fog began to weaken, pale light filtering downwards, casting his reflection in the water. Ahead, he could see a small, sandy island with a single, gnarled tree atop it.

"This is weird…" He mumbled under his breath before adding in a louder voice, "don't you think so, Skully?"

No answer.

"...Skully?"

No answer.

He stopped and turned back.

The door was gone. Skull Kid was nowhere to be seen.

Link took a couple uneasy steps backwards.

He should have known there would be traps. He'd been careless.

His back was against the tree. Had he been so close to it before?

There was a throbbing in his chest.

The corners of his vision darkened.

He stumbled away from the tree.

Pain.

A sharp pain pierced his chest. He let out a scream, pitching forward. He landed flat on his stomach in the water. Dark, watery sap gushed from his chest wound, staining his tunic and swirling into the shadowy water.

Then, as suddenly as the pain had appeared, it was gone, leaving him shaken and soaked. Slowly, he felt his strength and energy return. He climbed to his feet, trembling, pushing through the pain. He stumbled back to the small island and sank to the ground, carefully pulling his tunic so he could check his chest.

Even now, a small rivulet of discolored sap trickled down his bark, originating from a puncture in the sticky resin scab. He pressed against the semi-solid resin, doing the best he could to reclose the wound. Then, once he felt steady enough, he stood back up and began to walk again, looking for any possible way of escape.

But after only a few minutes of walking, he found himself staring at the island once again.

This time, however, something was different.

It started as a small ripple in the water, not far from where he had collapsed. The ripple grew stronger, then swirled, then rose into the air. Water mixed with dark sap snaked around the tree rustling the dead branches before beginning to take a form in the water just in front of him.

His form.

The clone looked just like him; it had a barky texture and a tunic. A sword and a shield. A bag of countless items.

It drew its sword and took a step forward.

Link took a step back.

Another step forward. Another step back.

Then it rushed forward.

Link had time to draw his sword and block the blow. There was a clang, as if metal had struck metal, and he stumbled back from the force of the blow, wrestling with the pain of holding the Master Sword.

The clone swung again, and this time it managed a shallow cut on Link's right shoulder.

Link let out a sharp cry and hastily backed up, briefly glancing at his shoulder to confirm yes, he really had been hurt and yes, he really was in danger.

The clone wasted no time striking again. Link leapt back before thrusting his sword back at the watery clone. It blocked with its shield and thrust back. The tip of the sword nicked Link's ear.

Link kicked out, bringing the heel of his boot up against the clone's shield. He shoved it back, then used the opening to swing. His sword swished through the watery clone's shield arm. The dismembered arm and sword fell, losing form as it splashed into the water.

For a few seconds, the clone stared at the remaining stump. Link hesitated. Was it done already? Then water swirled up from around its feet and formed a new arm, though this time without the shield. Without warning it kicked, knocking Link off his feet. He hit the ground hard, and barely had time to avoid being stabbed somewhere vital, instead catching Link in the shoulder. He screamed as the faux sword pierced deep, his nondominant arm going limp. Fresh, watery sap leaked from the wound. The clone pulled its sword free to strike again, but Link rolled, stumbling to his feet a few feet away.

He charged forward, ramming into the clone shoulder-first. It stumbled, then fell to its back. With a loud battle cry, Link dove. There was a clang as the clone knocked away his first attack, but he spun with the momentum and thrust his sword downward again.

The sword drove into the ground with a thunk. Then silence.

Silence.

The clone stared up at him, mouth open in a soundless scream. It thrashed for a few seconds more, then stilled, staring up at him with hatred before melting back into the water.

For a while, Link stood there, trembling as he stared at the spot where the dark clone had disappeared. Then the Master Sword dropped from his grip, dropping into the shallow water with a clatter and a splash. He dropped to his knees next as exhaustion and pain caught up to him. The fog was thickening again, closing in on him as he fell further still. And then all was white.


"...nk..."

"...Link…"

"Get up, Link..."

As his consciousness returned, Link realized he was still collapsed in shallow water. A familiar voice echoed suggesting he was in an enclosed, empty space. It was darker, now, but there was still enough light that, as he opened his eyes, he could see the stone walls of the water temple.

"I think he's coming to."

That was a different voice, also familiar, but less so. With a bit of effort, Link balled one hand into a fist and then, with a groan, managed to sit up. Skull Kid was nearby, laying nearly motionless in the water. Occasionally, his fingers would twitch, or he would let out a little whimper, like he was having a bad dream.

His attention turned next to his right arm. During the fight, he'd been unable to use it. But now, he was able to raise it, looking it over. As far as he could tell, it had never been injured, and the only thing slowing him down was his own grogginess.

"Well, it's about time he got up. Honesty, we don't have all day to wait around here."

Link turned his head to the second voice. She was tall. Adult, he supposed. Her skin was a pale blue. Large fins draped from around her elbows, their color tapering to a darker shade. In his stupor, it took him a moment to realize that he'd seen her before.

"Ruto?"

"Princess Ruto," She corrected, placing her hands on her hips and dispelling any notion of grace. "All this time and you still don't have any manners."

"Don't fault him," the first voice said, drawing his attention away. "Your customs are different from that of the forest folk."

Ruto scoffed, but Link wasn't paying attention to her anymore. That other voice was too important to ignore. He turned his head and at once saw the familiar light that had guided him through the first steps of his journey. The one person who he'd ached to see for all this time.

"Navi?"

The fairy made a jingling noise, as she dropped so that she was at Link's eye level.

"It's been a while, Link."


A/N: This is the chapter where I learned that sap is actually fairly watery, while tree RESIN is the sticky stuff. Huh, the more you know. This is why you do your research, kids. Anyways…

The water temple is just as much a nightmare to write for as it is to play. That's all I'm saying.

This is going to be the last chapter until some undetermined date after November. I'm very busy, but I'm hoping to use NaNoWriMo as an excuse to push out drafts for as many of the remaining chapters as possible. As of right now, I'm expecting there to be somewhere between 10 and 12 chapters left, and somewhere between 50-75k words. All the remaining chapters have been outlined, but the details are still tbd. While I don't know how long it will take to finish, I am confident that I WILL finish at this point. Please be patient and look forward to what's to come, I hope you enjoy.