After Rhea ate, she looked through her letters. Mostly, it was the parents and guardians of the students informing her that they were coming to Garreg Mach to see that their children were alright.
She noted that Lord Lonato hadn't sent a letter. That could be indicative of a problem.
When the others returned to the conference room, Rhea explained the situation to Ashe and asked him to write to Lord Lonato. Ashe agreed to do so, and took a pen and began writing the letter.
"Now, you were about to tell us about Zora's Domain?" Seteth asked.
"Yes, that's right," Link confirmed.
Even in the rain, the Great Zora Bridge was a sight to behold. The day's travel had taken them across several bridges, each a beautiful work of stonemasonry, but nothing compared to the final bridge spanning the last leg of the river to its above-ground source. As they rounded a mountain called Ruto Mountain, Link was surprised to see just how high above the river they were now. A rock bridge crossed from the mountain across the river far below to a rocky island pillar in the middle of Zora River.
It was from this pillar that the Great Zora Bridge began. The bridge, itself, was at least a mile long, if not longer—a marvel of engineering in its own right before one considered the fact that it had no apparent supports. Instead, it was built into the side of the pillar and extended all the way up the rest of Zora River, over a massive waterfall, to connect with the large city of Zora's Domain. The city was far enough away that the rain obscured it, leaving Link with only a few faint impressions of its design and size.
The bridge was made of beautiful white and gray stone, just as the watchtowers had been, with stone arches placed equidistant from each other along its length. Each pillar was beautifully carved stone with a glowing white gem placed at its peak, providing light to those traveling by night. The sight of the bridge alone was breathtaking but walking upon it was even more awe-inspiring—and bordering on terrifying.
Hubert seemingly seemed to think so. "On second thought, perhaps I should go back."
"I think I'll go with you," Bernadetta said.
"You can't go back! You'll get attacked by Lizalfos!" Caspar protested.
Bernadetta and Hubert both looked between the bridge and the path behind them.
"Should we go together?" Hubert asked. Bernadetta nodded, and the two of them began crossing the bridge, staying as close to the center of the bridge as possible.
"It's really something, isn't it?" Sidon said, smiling.
"It is really something," Ignatz agreed. "It's an architectural marvel!"
"Just wait," said Bazz, nodding towards the distant, shadowy shape of their city. "You haven't seen anything yet."
They walked along the bridge, rain pouring steadily down upon them, for the next ten minutes before Zora's Domain began to take shape. As they got closer, Link began to see hints of platforms and walkways, stone pillars, and something massive rising up from its center. The closer he got, the more of the city came into view, and the less he even noticed the rain pouring down on him.
Even under the shadow of rain clouds, the city was beautiful. It was built in several ring-shaped tiers, with various stone walkways that circled around the rings in a complex system of walkways and platforms. Still far ahead, the bridge terminated on the lowest tier, which opened into a wide plaza, at the center of which was what appeared to be a large fountain that he could only just barely make out. This bottom tier was the largest, extending far beyond the plaza and forming the city's foundation. It was on this tier that the winding walkways that encircled the city and connected to various platforms and the upper tiers began.
A pair of half-circle staircases rose from either side of the plaza, rising up to the second tier of Zora's Domain. Here, from what Link could see, was a hub for many of the city's walkways to converge. Bridges connected to the distant walls of the basin that Zora's Domain was situated in, like the spokes of a great wheel. In the far distance, Link could make out even more structures built along the bridges and along the walls.
The city's uppermost level was taken up by the magnificent shining palace. This was a building that Link had seen before, in the photo gallery on his Sheikah Slate, but a photograph had done nothing to show the true majesty of what he saw now. It was designed like an enormous fish, its tail flipped up and curling over its head. Hundreds, if not thousands, of silvery scales had been carved into the fish's body. Its tailfin glowed brightly in the same blue-white way that many other Zora structures had, shining its hazy light down on the palace from above. The fish's mouth made the entrance to the palace, open for all to see, though the rain made it hard for Link to actually see what lay within.
The entire city was suspended above a large pool of water below—the source of the river—by large, white pillars of stone. The pillars seemed far too thin for how large the city was, but he knew from what he'd been told that it had held for thousands of years without fail. It was surrounded on all sides by massive cliffs of stone and shimmering crystal that reflected the grey clouds overhead.
The city was beautiful. And Link had, most certainly, seen it before. Not just in a photograph, nor in a memory. But somewhere, deep in the recesses of Link's mind, he knew that he'd been here before. He'd seen that palace before. He'd walked upon the walkways. He'd played…
"Come on, Bazz! You'll need to be faster if you want to beat me!"
A flash through his mind. Sprinting along a walkway that overlooked a great lake. One misstep and he would fall over the edge, but when did a child think of such things?
"Slow down, Link! If you're not careful, you'll—Link!"
A slip of his foot, a lurch, sudden, open air… And a hand that gripped his arm with a firm, secure grip.
"You must be careful, little one. A Hylian such as you would have trouble with that dive…"
Golden eyes. Red fins that draped to either side of a round face. Golden jewelry that hung down the sides of the fins. A warm smile.
"Thank you, Lady Mipha! I tried warning him."
Zora's Domain. Bazz. Mipha. All flashed through Link's head in a whirl of sounds and colors.
"Prince Sidon!" an old, manta ray-like Zora approached the contingent.
"What is it, Muzu?" Sidon asked. "Why do you look so alarmed? Has something happened?"
"Prince, I implore you. We must eject this Hylian from our Domain at once! He is not welcome here!"
Link's thoughts crashed around him as he focused, again, on the scene before him. Sidon, Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison all stood in front of him, facing another group of Zoras. The center Zora, with a wide, flat head with eyes far to either side, stared at Link with what looked like barely contained rage. To either side of him were another pair of much older Zora, each carrying a spear. They, too, looked at Link with hatred and gripped their spears in tight fists.
"Muzu, what has gotten into you?" Sidon said. "Do you know who this is?"
"Oh, I know full well who he is, Prince Sidon. This man," the one named Muzu spat, pointing a tremulous finger at Link. "is the one responsible for your sister's death."