Chapter 24
Link, Charlie and Navi followed Captain Ralis to the throne room. Charlie noticed that Link had a very distracted look in his eyes. He gave him a light nudge with his elbow.
"Link, are you okay? Something doesn't seem right with you."
Link didn't reply. He simply kept following Ralis without saying a word. Nav saw this and flew in front of his face.
"Listen, Link! When one of us asks you something important can you please reply back? We are a little worried about you. Ever since you got out of that telepathic link and played that song, you've been unusually quiet. Is there something we should know?"
Ralis turned his head and realized that nobody was following him. He turned around and Charlie and Navi were confronting Link about something. Link sighed.
"Guys I'm sorry. My mind has been very occupied since that telepathic link. If Zelda's visions are true, Hyrule Castle is going to be overrun by Ganondorf and his undead soldiers. I've been thinking of trying to warn the people of the attack beforehand, but we need that last spiritual stone first."
Charlie clapped his hands in excitement.
"Link, that's an excellent idea! We can warn them of the attack! If there are far too many skeletons for the soldiers to handle, we might be able to at least evacuate everyone from the castle town to Kakariko. The big question remains. How do we get people to listen to us?"
Navi agreed with their ideas, but she wanted to concentrate on the present time not the future.
"Okay, guys! Let's concentrate on that Spiritual Stone. Ralis was taking us to his king remember?"
Ralis was behind them tapping his foot impatiently.
"That's right. I WAS leading you there until everyone stopped following me. Please continue to follow me this time."
They followed Ralis into the throne room. There was a fat zora wearing a crown sitting on the altar. Ralis bowed his head respectfully. He signaled Link and his friends to follow suit.
"Oh great King Zora! I have brought help with me."
He pointed to Link and his friends
. "This is Link, Charlie and Navi. They traveled with me to Lake Hylia to acquire medicine to help Lord Jabu Jabu and we think we may be able to treat him."
King zora smiled. His captain didn't let him down after all.
"Great work, Captain Ralis. Everyone else will be pleased with the good news once they return from their foraging duties. We were running low on food and basic medical supplies again. I want all of you to go see Lord Jabu Jabu and try the medicine on him. Maybe Princess Ruto will be discovered shortly after he awakens."
Ralis lead everyone into the altar of The Zora's guardian god. He was still in a deep sleep. Link passed the bottle containing the reekfish to Ralis. He walked in front of the giant fish and opened the bottle. Within seconds, everyone started to cough violently. Suddenly, Jabu Jabu's eyes opened up quickly. He smelled something very foul. He looked down at the source of the smell. It was a red fish in a bottle. Everyone around it was coughing. He roared in a bellowing voice.
"Get rid of that thing! Ye gods! It smells rotten!"
Ralis took the bottle and threw it behind him. It landed in the water and it sank to the bottom of the pond. Ralis bowed his head.
"My Lord! You are awake! How do you feel?"
He groaned.
"I am still not well, Ralis. That Human they call Ganondorf laid a curse on me. I will likely perish shortly if something isn't done soon. Who are these humans that stand before me? And what is that glowing light with wings supposed to be?"
Navi began to glow a dull red with anger. Ralis answered his Lord's questions.
"The humans are named Link and Charlie. The glowing light with wings is called a fairy and her name is Navi."
Lord Jabu Jabu nodded wisely.
"Ah I see. Now, I hope Princess Ruto didn't fall into my stomach. I tried to protect her from Ganondorf by swallowing her. I hope she is uninjured. Link, will you go look for me?"
Link nodded.
The giant fish opened his mouth. Link suddenly remembered the plant they obtained for him.
"Lord, I have a plant that may be able to cure the curse that was laid on you."
The giant fish smiled.
"Thank you human. When you enter my body, you will not be able to go far. Look for a large hole. That is the entrance to my stomach. Throw the medicinal plant in there."
The giant fish reopened his mouth and Link entered the fish's body. He couldn't stand the smell He looked behind him and he realized that Navi and Charlie stayed behind. He shrugged and continued to look for princess Ruto. Suddenly, he heard somebody crying. He followed the sounds and he found himself standing in front of a small female zora. She was huddled up in a corner crying miserably. Link tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and screamed at Link.
"Eek! Who are you? Are you in league with Ganondorf? Get away from me!"
Link backed off. She was obviously upset. Link tried to reason with her.
"Hello. I'm sorry I startled you. My name is Link. Are you princess Ruto?"
The zora girl shrieked and backed away from Link.
"You ARE in league with him, aren't you? Don't come any closer!"
Link was getting frustrated. This was getting him nowhere.
"Look, I'm not in league with Ganondorf! I need you to come with me."
"If you aren't with Ganondorf, how did you get in here anyway?"
Link smiled. Maybe the truth would help the situation.
"Me, my friends and your Captain Ralis traveled to Lake Hylia and got some medicine for your guardian god. We woke him up with a reekfish and he told me to throw this medicinal plant in his stomach. He said that there was a hole leading to his stomach around here somewhere. Can you show me where it is?"
She looked at the odd plant in the young boy's hand. Likely story! The plant was probably poison! The zora girl smirked.
"You were right about one thing. I am Princess Ruto. But I'm not showing you were that hole is to my Lord's stomach. That plant is probably poison!"
Link smacked his forehead with his hand. This was giving him a headache.
"What do I have to do to convince you? I'm not an assassin!"
Ruto was about to reply when she spotted somebody walking towards her and Link. When the unknown assailant got closer, Ruto realized that it was Captain Ralis. He put a hand on Ruto's shoulder.
"It's good to see you safe, Ruto. Now, Link here is telling the truth. He has been helping me to find medicine for our god. He is no assassin. You have to learn not be so hostile to newcomers. The hole to our lord's stomach is just behind you, Link. Toss the plant in and let's get out of here."
Link walked a short distance and found the hole. He threw the glowing plant in and turned around and walked over to Ruto and Ralis. Ruto walked up to Link and gave him a hug much to his surprise.
"Thank you for saving our Lord and me as well. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. You're my hero!"
Link was embarrassed. His face got red with embarrassment.
"Um no problem, Princess Ruto. Let's go outside now."
As soon as they got outside, they were greeted by at least a dozen zoras and Charlie and Navi. Ralis smiled.
"I see my zora patrol is back from foraging duties. Guys, this is Link. I'm sure you already met Charlie and Navi while I was gone. He and his friends helped me to get the medicine to treat our Lord."
The zoras cheered Link's name.
Lord Jabu Jabu expressed his thanks.
"Link, I want to thank you for helping Ralis gather medicine to treat my condition.
You saved my life. I can already feel the herb you fed me going to work. The pain is nearly gone. As thanks, I want to grant you the Zora's Sapphire. It is a rare treasure of the zora tribe."
Ruto walked up to Link and handed him the sapphire. She smiled sweetly at Link.
"You know, I never got to thank you properly. Pucker up!"
Ruto leaned over and kissed Link on the cheek. He backed away slightly. She giggled.
"I really like you. Please come back and visit us soon."
Link, Charlie and Navi got ready to leave. They were given a warm farewell from all the zoras including Ralis and King Zora.
"Good bye, guys. Thank you for helping me to gather medicine for our guardian god. I will never forget your kindness."
"Bye, Link, Charlie and Navi. You are welcome to visit us anytime."
The three travelers made their way down the path leading out of the Zora River. It was a difficult path. Charlie nearly fell in the water a couple times. After a lot of careful stepping, they finally made their way off the river path and towards Hyrule castle. Link wanted to be quick. He didn't want the visions that Zelda had shown him to come true.
They made their way over near the drawbridge towards Castle Town. As soon as they entered Castle Town, Link spotted Captain Viscen. This was a perfect time to warn him of the attack on the castle town and more importantly, Hyrule Castle. He walked over to him and waved at him so he would see him.
"Hey, Captain Viscen! How's it going, sir?"
Viscen turned to Link and smiled. He gave Link a salute.
"Hi there, lad. How was your quest with Ralis? Did you find medicine for his guardian god?"
"Yeah. I saved that giant fish's life. I even saved Princess Ruto and got the Zora's Sapphire."
Viscen smiled. This boy would make a good soldier if he was older.
"Well done, lad! I have something for you. Hold out your hand."
Link held out his hand. Viscen put a blue ocarina and a red orb in his hand. Link looked up at Visen with a confused look on his face. Viscen grinned.
"Our princess trusts you to use that ocarina wisely. As for the red orb, there is a spell called Din's Fire contained within. All knights get to learn the spell by right. I learned it many years ago, but I only use it if I get disarmed or I'm cornered. It takes a lot of concentration to master. That ocarina is the legendary Ocarina of Time. Apparently, you can control the flow of time with it. Hence the name. Heh heh. As for the red orb, simply put your hands on it. After a couple of minutes, the spell will be inside you and you will be able to use it like a master with some training. Go ahead! Touch the orb and watch."
Link put away the Ocarina of Time and touched the orb. It started to glow brightly and then as time went by, the orb got more dull until it was grey. Link felt strange. Did he just learn a spell? Suddenly, Link's left hand started to feel like it was on fire. He held it up in the air and a small fireball shot out! Visen's soldiers clapped for Link. Viscen smiled.
"Not too bad, lad. You had no idea what you were doing but you still shot out a fireball. Maybe you were destined to learn that spell. Watch this!"
Viscen held up his hand and closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Suddenly, an orange ball of fire started to form in the center of his hand. After a few minutes, it got even bigger! Viscen shouted at his guards. He needed a target.
"I need a target, troops! Give me a target!"
The soldiers quickly looked around. One of them found an old rotten barrel. The guards set it up in front of Viscen. He concentrated and pointed his hand at the barrel. The fireball shot out and struck the barrel. The barrel smashed into tiny pieces. Nothing from the barrel was left intact. Viscen turned to the astonished Link, Charlie and Navi.
"Ganondorf and Vaati Aren't the only ones who knows how to use magic. I wish it didn't take me so long to concentrate. If you practice, you will be able to form a fireball like that one. Troops! Is there something else to use as a target?"
One of the guards scratched his head.
"Well there is a training dummy outside the barracks. I can get that for you, sir!"
"Perfect. Go to it, soldier! Bring it here."
The guard ran to the barracks and brought back the training dummy. It reminded link of the scarecrows Brad used in the Kokiri Forest for practice. It looked rickety, but it would do the job. Viscen grinned at Link.
"Now, Link. I want you to concentrate and try to hit that dummy with a fireball. Picture in your mind a fireball forming in the center of your hand and then make that happen for real. Give it a try."
Link closed his eyes to focus. He held out hand and imagined a fireball forming in the center of it. He heard loud gasps. He opened his eyes and there was a medium sized fireball formed in the center of his hand. He pulled his hand back and thrust his hand forth. The fireball shot out and hit the dummy in the chest. It exploded into tiny pieces. Charlie and Navi cheered for Link. Visen and his guards joined in the cheering. Viscen gave him a pat on the back.
"Well done, lad. Keep practicing and you'll be just as good as me in no time at all."
Link shook his hand.
"Thanks, Viscen. We are glad we ran into you. I actually got something to tell you. There is going to be an attack here soon and Hyrule Castle as well. Princess Zelda shared her visions with me by a telepathic link. There was a lot of bloodshed. I saw people getting run down in the streets. Ganondorf is going to betray the king. We have to evacuate the people to Kakariko Village."
Viscen scratched his head.
"I don't doubt you, lad. Why would you lie after all you've done to help us? I'm not sure the people will listen to us, but we will try. Thanks, Link. Do you know when the attack will happen?"
Link shook his head.
"I don't know exactly when, but I do know that Ganondorf and Vaati appear with a hoard of undead shortly after Impa and Zelda gallop through on a white horse and order you and your soldiers to evacuate the people to Kakariko Village."
Viscen nodded.
"I now think I know why Zelda gave me that ocarina to give to you. I will tell you later. I've got to evacuate the townsfolk now. Let's go, troops!"
Shortly after Viscen and his troops left, Vaati appeared in front of the three travelers. He grinned at Link.
"Very clever, Link. Warning the guards of an attack. I don't know how you could've found out about our plans and I don't care. All that matters now is that I'm going to kill you!"
Vaati floated in front of Link and started to focus. He shot out a purple ball of energy. Link, Navi and Charlie dodged the blast. Link hid in a corner and started to concentrate. He imagined a ball of fire forming in his hand and then he made it real. Once again, a bright orange fireball formed in his hand. Vaati was looking the other direction at Charlie Link shot the fireball at Vaati. Vaati turned around at the last second. Smack! The fireball hit Vaati right in the face. He roared in pain. He dropped to the ground and held his face in agony. When he removed his hands, Link and Charlie noticed the horrific burns all over his face. Navi was in shock. Those burns were very severe. Link grinned.
"I finally got my revenge, you son of a bitch!"
Vaati glared at Link. His face was lancing in pain.
"This isn't over! You are going to pay for that with your blood! We will continue this fight another day, but things are going to happen differently next time!"
He suddenly disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Navi flew over to Link.
"Link! Are you insane? That's still Max you know! You just mutilated your friend!"
Link glared at Navi.
"I'm sorry Navi, but friends don't try and kill you and almost succeed. That bastard got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned."
Charlie put a hand on Link's shoulder.
"That must've been tough, man. You did the right thing. Maybe he will reconsider trying to mess with you again."
Link frowned.
"Oh don't worry. We'll see him again. Remember what he said. I'm going to pay for that with my blood. He's far from finished. Besides, Ganondorf will probably use magic to heal his face anyways.
Suddenly, they heard a lot of shouting. They looked towards Castle Town and Viscen was leading a lot of people out of the town. He stepped aside and let the people pass.
"Retreat! Go to Kakariko where it's safe!"
He turned towards Link and his friends.
"Okay, lad. Now I'm going to tell you why you got that Ocarina of Time. You are supposed to go the Temple of Time and play the Song of Time in front of the altar. Zelda told me that Ganondorf is after the Triforce. You are supposed to go there to protect it."
Just as those words left Viscen's mouth, Impa and Zelda galloped out of the castle Town. She stopped in front of Viscen.
"There is an emergency, Captain! We need you to quickly evacuate the people to Kakariko."
Viscen saluted Impa.
"Already done, Ma'am!"
Impa was confused.
"But how did you know beforehand? Unless..."
She turned and looked at Link. She smiled.
"Well, I guess that telepathic link was a success. You warned the guards ahead of time didn't you?"
Link nodded.
"Good work, young man! Now, you need to get to the Temple of Time! Hurry!"
Link nodded once more as he, Charlie and Navi made their way into Castle Town towards the temple of Time. They saw Ganondorf coming and they hid behind a nearby house. He galloped past on his horse and they continued walking towards the Temple of Time.
Impa, Zelda and Viscen were long gone when Ganondorf arrived. He cursed in anger.
"Dammit! I'm too late! I will find you, Zelda! No matter how long it takes!"
He galloped out of the Castle town on his horse towards Hyrule Field.
Link, Charlie and Navi were in the Temple of Time. They looked around the big building. There was a huge door in the back with a triforce symbol above it. The floors were made out of marble and the walls were made from hard limestone. They saw the altar and ran up to it. They noticed that there were hollows for the Spiritual Stones. Link placed them inside the hollows one by one. Afterwards, He played the Song of Time. It echoed around the Temple of Time. Suddenly, the triforce symbol above the door began to glow. Afterwards, the big door began to open in front of them. They walked in the room and there was a weird looking pedestal with a nice-looking sword stuck in it. Navi flew over to it.
"This blade... This is the legendary Master Sword! The Great Deku Tree told me stories about this magnificent blade. Try to pull it out, Link!"
Link walked over to the sword and pulled on the hilt as hard as he could. He pulled it out and held it in his hands. Charlie started to cheer for Link when suddenly, a blue vortex appeared in the room. It began to pull Link, Charlie and Navi inside. Charlie tried to grab onto something, but he didn't see anything to grab. Navi was so light, she pulled in instantly. Link struggled but he couldn't avoid the vortex. He was still holding the Mater Sword. He got pulled in still holding The Blade of Evil's Bane. They were going around in circles in the vortex. Suddenly, link's vision began to blur. As did Charlie's and Navi's. All three of them blacked out as the vortex swallowed them.