"Zelda…" said Tri nervously, "This is the opposite direction to Faron."
"I know," Zelda said. "But we're doing this to help Ganon, remember?"
"But Nayru said…" Tri began, then cut off when Zelda gave them a harsh look.
Ganon glanced at her. "Nayru said what?" he demanded.
"Oh, just that we must free Farore's power as soon as possible," she said lightly. "But the golden goddesses are older than time itself – surely she can wait for a while."
He looked down at her with narrowed eyes, wondering what she was not telling him.
They were currently enroute to Jabul Waters, where Zelda hoped hearing the Zora perform might release more of Ganon's memories. Truthfully, he found this to be a bit of an odd detour, but he did find the thought of making the goddesses wait entertaining. And he supposed her idea of listening to music to help his memory issues was as good as any. Perhaps he had been a Zora before this. He could not recall knowing any Zora in his past (obviously), but he didn't mind the idea of having sharklike teeth. However, the smoothie Zelda had just given him containing kelp and a riverhorse she had obtained from Jabul had made him want to gag, so perhaps not. (She had finished it happily after he had handed it back to her in disgust; she seemed to have a stomach made of steel.)
Her interest in learning who he was seemed to be genuine, but he could not shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him. This had only been exacerbated that morning, when he had overheard her and Tri whispering amongst themselves. When she had noticed that he was awake she had quickly changed the subject, but he had caught the phrase Prime Energy more than once.
Well, she could keep whatever secrets she liked; he would find them out eventually. He was very good at biding his time.
The Zora were, predictably, delighted to see Zelda (How was it that she managed to have so many friends, he wondered again). They did not look like what he was expecting; they were green, stocky and had sharp teeth that protruded even with their mouths closed. River Zora, Zelda called them. Perhaps because they were a bit monstrous looking themselves, most of the River Zora did not seem to be too put off by him, though there was one child who shrieked and jumped into a pool of water when he saw Ganon. Ganon considered letting out a roar, but thought that while Zelda had looked past him purposely frightening the stables owner, she may not appreciate him trying to scare children.
Now they were in the home of the River Zora Chief, Dradd, who wore a scaly red cape that Ganon thought suited him quite nicely. In their short introduction, Ganon got the impression of a kind and strong leader, though perhaps not the brightest.
When Zelda brought up the possibility of him playing music for them, Dradd was delighted.
"Actually, Kushara and I are putting on a concert tonight," he said. "You should attend!"
"That sounds wonderful," Zelda said. "You play so beautifully together."
Ganon caught sight of a large horn on a stand in the corner of the room, and wondered whether any sound that came out of that could really be called beautiful. He did not think that this was the kind of instrument that he had played as a human.
"You should speak with Kushara beforehand, to warn her that you are coming." Dradd let out a hearty laugh. "Those Sea Zora are not nearly as tough as us River Zora – your friend here might… unnerve them."
The way he said unnerve gave Ganon the impression that he had been about to say something stronger, like frighten or even terrify, but was trying to be polite.
"You may be right," said Zelda. "Thank you, Dradd. We will make for Zora Cove, then."
"I hope to see you tonight," Dradd said with a toothy smile. "Now, I must continue practicing. Can't let Kushara show me up!"
As they exited the River Zora Village, Zelda gave Ganon a contemplative look.
"What?"
"I was just wondering whether we might do anything to make you look less scary," she said. "Are those spikes on your shoulder plates really necessary? I've never seen you use them in a fight, and they make you look quite hostile."
"That is a feature," said Ganon.
She snorted. "I suppose they are stylish, in a dangerous sort of way."
"Precisely."
He tried not to think about how much he liked hearing her call his armor stylish.
"Have you ever ridden in a boat before?"
Ganon wasn't sure if the contraption in front of him could really be called a boat; it was small and made of wood that was beginning to rot in places and he didn't trust it to hold his weight. Zelda had borrowed it from a fisherman in the nearby village.
"No idea," he said, eyeing the boat warily.
"Well, unless you can swim, this is the best way to get to Zora's Cove." She paused. "Can you swim?"
He glanced skeptically at the ocean beside them.
"You know, I've heard that boars are actually very strong swimmers," she said, then giggled when he glared at her. "Though my Moblins can't swim, and you look a bit –"
"Just give me those paddles," he growled, and soon they were off, floating lower in the water then he would have liked, but still floating. Ganon steered the boat while Zelda gave him directions, or else summoned echoes to deter any monsters that attempted to attack their boat.
Loath as he was to admit it, with the warm sun on his face, and the brilliant blue water, and the chompfin echoes Zelda had summoned jumping in and out of the water next to them, the boat ride was quite enjoyable. Do not let her hear you say that, he thought, looking at Zelda, who was leaning out the side of the boat to skim her fingers over the water's surface. Luckily, her back was to him, so she was not able to see the peacefulness in his face.
He was almost disappointed to see the fishtail statue that marked the entrance to Zora Cove appear in the distance. He (quite skillfully, in his opinion, considering he could not remember any seafaring in his life) maneuvered the boat next to the small island so Zelda could climb out.
"I'll go find Kushara," she said. "You two can wait here with the boat."
After she left, Tri floated up next to his head. "Ganon," they said, "What is a concert?"
He let out an annoyed sigh – usually it was Zelda who answered Tri's inane questions. "It is when people play music for others."
"What is the purpose of that?"
"There isn't, really. People like to hear music."
Tri blinked. "So… is a concert for fun? Like the horses, and the snowballs?"
"I suppose," said Ganon. He hoped the conversation would stop there, but Tri kept going.
"I do not understand 'for fun'," they said. "I do only what the goddesses ask me to do."
Ganon frowned. "There must be something that you want for yourself."
"Something… I want? What is 'I want'?"
"You're always talking about what the goddesses want. But what do you want?" He waved his hand. "You know… something you desire? Something you dream of?"
Tri looked very, very confused. "I want what the goddesses want," they said. After a pause, they added, "What do you want, Ganon?"
To be a king again, he thought. To remember who I am. And, maybe… to be a man again.
He said, "Right now, I want for you to stop talking."
Tri did, and Ganon sat in blissful silence, with his eyes closed and the sun warming his fur and armor, until Zelda returned. She had another Zora with her – this one looked how he had expected the Zora to look; slim and elegant, with pretty lavender scales and a golden crown on her head. Kushara, Chief of the Sea Zora. She raised a hand to her mouth when she saw him.
"Oh my," she said. "He is quite…"
"Horrifying?" Ganon asked with a slight smirk.
She sniffed. "I was going to say large." (Ganon did not believe this.) Turning her attention to Zelda, she said, "This is truly not some copy you've conjured?"
"Ganon is extremely real," said Zelda. "And we would be very appreciative if you would allow us to attend your and Dradd's performance."
Kushara narrowed her eyes, studying him.
"Dradd said we ought to ask you," Zelda continued. "He thought the Sea Zora might find Ganon too frightening."
Kushara's head quickly turned to her, an affronted look on her face. "Dradd said that?"
Zelda nodded.
Kushara straightened. "Of course you may bring Ganon to the concert. We Sea Zora are very welcoming."
"Thank you, Kushara."
Kushara gave a slight bow. "You are very welcome, Zelda." She looked to Ganon now. "I look forward to showing you the calming sounds of my harp."
Ganon inclined his head in acknowledgment.
"Now, I must go prepare. If you will excuse me." She bowed again, then disappeared back into Zora's Cove, muttering to herself about 'presumptuous green gills' as she went. Zelda and Ganon watched her walk away.
"That was very well done," Ganon admitted grudgingly.
"Thank you."
"I see the River and Sea Zora Chiefs do not much like each other."
"On the contrary," said Zelda, "I believe they are the best of friends."
They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Jabul Waters and the surrounding coast. They found an abandoned ship which contained some electric jellyfish monster; something about the monster felt a touch familiar, though Ganon could not put his finger on it. They repaired a new rift that had opened since Zelda had been here; he thought he was getting very good at that. Then, having nothing to do but wait for the evening, they sat on the beach at the edge of the water, drinking smoothies – Ganon's was mango; Zelda's was some unappealing brown colour that he did not want to ask about – and watching the sun begin to disappear behind the trees on the shoreline.
"This place is very peaceful," Zelda said with a slight yawn. "Were I not the Princess, I might like to move to Seesyde Village."
Ganon grunted. Truthfully, he had found Jabul Waters to be quite enjoyable, but did not want to admit this to her. Zelda seemed to understand what he meant, however, and smiled knowingly. He looked away, and they sat quietly until Ganon somehow managed to fall asleep.
He was woken later by her touch on his arm and her voice hissing, "Ganon."
He groaned.
"Ganon," she repeated. "It's time to go." She pressed harder on his arm.
He sat reluctantly – he had been having a pleasant dream, featuring ocean voyages and mangoes and bubbly blonde princesses – and looked to the sky. It was indeed becoming evening, and Zelda insisted that he get up now, because they were going to be late. He yawned.
"Get up," Zelda warned, "Or I shall bind you and carry you to Crossroads Plaza myself."
He got up.
She led him to Crossroads Plaza, which ended up being a stone-floored gathering plaza next to a large pool of water. According to Zelda, it was meant to be halfway between the Sea Zora and River Zora villages and served both as a meeting place and place of worship for both tribes. Ganon thought the Sea Zora rather got the short end of the stick on that one, as there was an ocean between them and the plaza (although, he reflected, that must not be much of a problem for a Zora).
When they arrived at Crosswords Plaza, many Zora, both Sea and River, were already there, including performers setting up their instruments. Dradd saw Zelda and Ganon and waved. Kushara nodded at them, then glanced at Dradd, as though she wished for him to see that she was most definitely not frightened of Ganon.
She had clearly warned the rest of the Sea Zora that he would be there as well; though they gave him and Zelda a wide berth, the terrified looks were kept to a minimum. One young Sea Zora child did shyly approach him to ask if his tusks were real.
"Obviously," he said, frowning at the Zora girl.
She tilted her head. "Why are you a pig?"
"Why are you a fish?"
She giggled. "I'm not a fish! I'm a Zora!"
Before he could retort, a Zora woman emerged from the crowd to escort the girl away, shooting Ganon an apologetic (and slightly nervous) look. He watched them walk away – the girl twisted to wave goodbye to him.
"I think that Zora has been the bravest person we've met so far," he murmured to Zelda.
She hummed. "Perhaps she is young enough that she has not yet learned to fear those who look strange."
Personally, Ganon thought that people were right to fear him, but he supposed he appreciated the sentiment.
A hush fell over the crowd, and any thoughts of how brave the Zora were or weren't were erased from his head as Kushara began to strum her harp. The light, twinkling notes filled the space entirely as she plucked out a beautiful melody. After just a moment, Dradd joined in on his horn.
It should not have fit together, the light, bright sound of the harp and the deep, rich sound of the horn, and yet (though he would never admit it) Ganon was entirely enchanted. Kushara and Dradd traded melodies back and forth, taking turns accompanying the other, and Ganon found himself swaying in place with the music. As the song progressed, other Zora joined in with flutes and keyboards (in the case of the Sea Zora), and horns of all shapes and sizes (in the case of the River Zora), which supported Dradd and Kushara's melodies beautifully.
Ganon chanced a glance at Zelda. She was also swaying in place, her eyes closed. The emerging moonlight was shining on her face, and he had to look away before he did something foolish, like think the Princess of Hyrule was pretty.
As the song concluded, there was a big splash, and a large whale emerged from the pool behind the performers. It let out an appreciative groan.
"Jabu-Jabu," Zelda said to him. "Patron God of the Zora."
He studied the whale creature with narrow eyes. For some reason, he had the distinct impression that he had seen this animal before.
Maybe he had been a Zora, and this was his god. Though the feeling he was experiencing now felt very close to… guilt?
No, Ganon thought. Couldn't be. Demon Kings did not feel guilt.
Jabu-Jabu let out another moan, then disappeared back below the water, and Ganon's not-guilt dissipated as the Zora band started up another song. This one was faster, fun and chipper, and many of the Zora in the audience began to dance. As did Zelda, who looked at him hopefully.
"No," he said, before she could even open her mouth.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
"What if you were a dancer in your past life?" Zelda asked. "And you'll never find out, because you're too scared of looking silly."
"I'm not scared," he spat.
Zelda smiled sweetly. "Prove it, then," she said, and he realized he had been played as easily as Kushara.
"Witch," he muttered.
But he did dance. Poorly, considering his feet were hooves, and he felt horribly self-conscious, aware of a delighted Zelda watching him, as well as (mostly Sea) Zora who still seemed concerned he may decide to go on a rampage. He glared at them until they looked away.
At some point, the song changed to a slow waltz, and many of the Zora began to pair off. Momentarily he worried Zelda might ask him to dance with her. Thankfully, she did not, and the two of them moved off to the side, content to watch the others and listen to the music.
"So?" Zelda asked.
"So?"
"Do you think you were a dancer?"
Ganon snorted. "No."
"Do you think you were a Zora?"
This, he pondered more seriously. "No," he said. "Though if I was, I'd be a River Zora."
"Why's that?"
"Sharper teeth."
She laughed. Then, the humour fading from her, she asked, "This didn't help you remember anything, did it?"
He shrugged. "It was worth a try," he said. And despite his dislike of the dancing, he had enjoyed the Zora's music. He did not tell her this.
Zelda seemed to think for a moment. She said, "I think we should go to the Gerudo Desert." She bit her lip. "I don't see how you could have been Gerudo, but you said you found this" – she gestured at the sash she had given him – "familiar. Maybe something there would stir your memory." She smiled. "Besides, I should like to see how my friend Dohna is getting on. And I've been going through mangoes much faster since meeting you – it'll give me a chance to stock up."
He could see Tri's anxiety at the thought of yet another delay to Faron; a sentiment that Ganon shared somewhat. He narrowed his eyes. Gerudo Desert… Like all his memories of these lands and their people, his knowledge of the Gerudo felt like it was hidden behind some hazy fog. They were warriors, strong and fearless. He was surprised Zelda had a Gerudo friend, as he thought the Gerudo to be distrusting of outsiders and on poor terms with Hyrule. Though he supposed Zelda had already proven her ability to obtain the trust of anyone.
"Why could I not have been Gerudo?"
"You are sure you were a man, aren't you? The Gerudo are all women."
He nodded slowly. He was not only certain that he had been a man, but he also had the sense that this had been very important to him. Still, he found the thought of visiting the desert intriguing.
Not to mention, if she ran out of mangoes, he would have to drink the slop that she drank and well, the less he knew about what she put in her smoothies, the better.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go."
He realized then that both he and Zelda were being given dirty looks for talking during the concert, and promptly shut up. He may have been a monster, but there were some things one just didn't do.