Chapter 61: Belly of the Whale
Each throw of the boomerang made Link fear his arm would fall off, and when he caught it again his shoulder burned. He'd run out of stones for his slingshot two segments ago, and who knew how many more he'd need to pass? Was that the right word? Segments? How was one supposed to describe the different parts of Lord Jabu-Jabu's insides? Gut spaces? Intestines? Stomachs? All of it sounded gross, and the thought made the hair on the back of Link's neck stand on end. He was within the belly of a powerful creature; he was practically food. Was this how the fish he ate felt?
No. That'd be ridiculous. He cooked and chewed them first.
Still, it made one feel ill at ease.
Rooms. That was it. He would think of them as rooms. Not the fleshy guts of a centuries-old whale. Rooms.
He threw the boomerang again, striking one of the shaking arms of an Octorok. Only a handful of the creatures were splayed across this room, less than half that had been in the one before. They barely fought back, all too weak and starving to do much beyond flailing their limbs. One tried to swipe at him when he stepped too close to pick up his boomerang from the ground. Another spat the scalding liquid they used as a weapon, but neither came close to reaching him.
They were so pathetic that the fight held no fun or excitement to it. Link did not know if it should even be considered a fight. Combat brought elation and danger; it made Link feel alive. As his weapon returned and the monster scuttled away, dragging its now wounded limb behind it, all Link felt was pity. The Octorok gave him a murderous look, the desire to kill and strangle him evident in its eyes.
And yet, it still felt wrong to hurt them, and he did not dare kill them. If he was the captive, stuck within the bowels of a living deity and slowly starving, wouldn't he fight to the end as well?
The next throw he missed on purpose. The boomerang bounced off the spongelike flesh that they walked on just before the nearest Octorok. With a wet splurt it returned to his hand, and the Octorok moved further away.
"Heh," he smiled as he stretched his arm in preparation for another throw.
"Aren't you done yet?" Ruto complained. The Zora Princess sat at the back end of the room, with her legs and arms crossed. She'd done nothing as they made their way deeper into the whale, well, nothing except criticize and whine.
"Does it look like I'm done?" Link waved to the Octorok still between them and the other side.
"Allow me to rephrase. Why is it taking you so long?"
Link sighed and made another throw, once more taking care not to hit the Octorok. It took longer, but he managed to herd the squidfolk to one side. All the while Ruto huffed and groaned after every throw, as though she was the one doing the work. As one of the last of the Octorok squirmed out of the path, Link paused. Was leaving these creatures alive kindness? They were all so weak, they would not last much longer. Would it be more merciful to end their misery? Should he aim for their heads? There couldn't be a way for them to escape Lord Jabu-Jabu. And yet, they still avoided his weapons and lashed out when he drew too close. They still wanted to live.
Shouldn't he let them?
His boomerang came spiraling toward him. He raised his hand to catch it, only for the boomerang to smack against his palm. His fingers couldn't close around it, and it flopped out of his grip. Groaning, Link bent over to pick it up. The muscles in his arms twitched as he shook the whale's mucus off his weapon before he tucked it into his belt.
"That's it," Link said. "If we hurry, we should be able to make it before the Octorok can try and catch us."
"Took you long enough," Ruto lazily stood and stretched.
"A thanks would be nice."
"I will thank you when you do something worthy of praise. My father could have just sent his guards to clear out the beasts. I would already be done by now."
"Your father isn't here. Neither are his guards."
The princess looked at him as if she was waiting for him to get to his point.
"Forget it. Let's just go."
As they crossed the room, some of the Octorok tried to drag themselves toward them. Link waved his boomerang, hoping they would realize the threat and retreat. It worked well enough, though Link still made certain he stood between Ruto and the monsters. Despite the danger, not once did the girl pick up her pace or even acknowledge the creatures. She strolled with her chin held high as if the entire world could do nothing to inconvenience her. Thankfully, she at least knew enough to walk out of the monster's reach. Though a few glared at them with hate-filled eyes and reached out to grab at Link's ankles with writhing tentacles.
Ruto strolled past them, not stopping until she reached the constricting muscles that separated the rooms. She placed her hand on it, and it pulled open.
Link took a moment to look back over the path he'd just crossed. Already, the creatures wiggled forward to fill the gap. If he ran, he could make it back across, leaving the ungrateful princess stranded on this side. It'd be so easy to leave her behind. He could almost hear her screaming after him. She'd never be able to fight through them all herself. He frowned, ashamed at his own thoughts. What would Navi or the Great Deku Tree say if they knew? He should be helping those in need, not dreaming of abandoning them. And yet, the longer Link spent with Ruto, the more he understood Captain Miashir's wish to be rid of her.
Link sighed, as horrid as she was, the Zora people needed her to restore their king. And he still needed to reach the Sapphire, perhaps once they had it in hand, Link could convince her to give it to him.
"Hylian!" She called from the other room. "Attend me, peasant!"
"Coming," he muttered as he stepped through the... door. That was as good a word for the constricting muscles as any other.
The next room was vast. Most of it covered in a dark green liquid that smelled foul. At the far end of the room, a jewel hung in the air. Gold held its center, around which three blue stones were set, each of them gleaming, casting glimmering blue dancing lights over the walls.
"Beautiful," Link said.
"Of course it is," Ruto smiled. "The Lord's Jewel, the only gem in the world worthy to be my engagement stone."
Link took a moment to marvel at it. The way it spun as it hovered in the air, and how its radiance made even the green slime look majestic. "Well, then let's get it and get out of here."
The princess frowned and looked at the filthy waters. "No."
"No?" What is it now? What more could she possibly want? "All this time we've been in here trying to get the Sapphire and now you don't want it. Why?"
"The water is foul," she crossed her arms. "A princess does not let that which is befouled touch her. You will have to carry me across."
"You can't be serious."
"Are you questioning me?"
Link's arms felt like soup, his legs on the verge of cramping. Now he had to carry her? "Fine." Just get this over with.
"Hold out your arms."
He did as she bid. She draped herself dramatically over them. Immediately, his arms seized, his forearm muscles rippling and tensing from her weight.
"No. No. Get down." He barely managed to say before he lost his grip.
She landed hard on the ground. "What's the matter with you?" She screamed as she got back to her feet. "I ordered you to carry me!"
"I'm tired. Hold on," Link shook out his arm, though it did little to relieve the burning. "Can you climb onto my back instead?"
"Like a child on your shoulders? Don't be absurd."
"I can't carry you that way. Either get on my back, or I will just go get the stone myself."
"As if someone like yourself could even touch it. The Lord's Jewel is for important people. Eternal guardians, royalty, princesses, not the common rabble." She gave a prolonged sigh. "I suppose it cannot be helped." Walking around Link, she grabbed his shoulders and lifted herself onto his back. Her arms wrapped around his throat, though thankfully not too tight. "So undignified."
"You ready?"
"Obviously. Why aren't you moving?"
Grumbling, Link waded into the liquid. Thankfully, the princess was not particularly heavy. If anything, she felt lighter than Saria, and Link had carried his friend many times when they played together back home. But after hours of trudging through rooms filled with monsters and Ruto's grating demands, it felt more burdensome than carrying a tree. The waters did him no favors either. It was so thick with slime that Link could not see the bottom. Every step forward risked toppling over into an unseen drop-off.
"Princess," Link said as he marched. "I don't think anyone ever told me why are you trying to get the Sapphire?"
"It is not the prerogative of royalty to answer the questions of the peasants."
Of course, that was her answer. Why had he even bothered asking?
"But if you must know, I plan to use it to propose my marriage."
That was a word Link had heard before, though he was somewhat unfamiliar with the details. It seemed like something that adults did. "Why would you want to do that?"
"What kind of ridiculous question is that?"
"Sorry, just trying to make this go faster."
"Then walk faster," she prodded him in the shoulder.
"No that's not- fine. Who are you going to marry?"
"Why must you keep pestering me? If I told you his name, what would that do? I doubt a peasant child like you would even know who he is. All you need to know is that he is… tall. A great warrior. A leader."
That was a surprise, "I didn't know the Zora valued being a great warrior."
"Well… it's… he's special. Besides, who the person is does not matter. I just need people to know that I am serious."
"What does being serious have to do with marriage? We didn't get too much into it back home, but I thought it had to do with love or something."
"Spoken like a river bumpkin. Noble women get married, that's the way of things. And when they do, they are treated with respect. If I'm married, no one will treat me as a child. I'll take my place with my father and rule. No one would dare think of me as a helpless little girl then. When I present my engagement stone to my betrothed, all will know I'm a princess with ideas. I have plans of my own and will forge an alliance unlike any in our history. It will shower me with glory. And there will be some benefit for my people too, I suppose."
That seemed an awful lot to come from presenting a rock to someone. But then, Hylians had strange ideas about rocks. Link still didn't quite understand the importance of rupees. Perhaps Zora were the same way? But the conversation left him worried. He had not known the princess for long, but the thought of convincing her to hand him the Sapphire seemed more and more unlikely.
"So long as you're certain that's the best way."
"I am. Now, be silent. And walk steady." She jabbed her fingers into the side of his neck. "You're going to splash me, wobbling around as you are."
"Don't do that," Link swatted her hand away from his neck.
"You do not get to touch me. And hurry up. You're moving too slow."
"Do you want me to go fast or to keep you dry?"
"Both."
He clenched his mouth shut so hard his jaw started to hurt. Almost done. Just don't say anything and keep moving. It will all be over soon. And I will never have to deal with her again. He took a few more steps forward, the ground moved beneath his feet. The whale's muscles constricted unseen beneath the foul water. Link stumbled, near toppling headfirst into the liquid. He barely managed to keep himself upright, though the green waters splashed around him and up his side.
"Walk steadier! You are getting me filthy!"
Just keep moving. Just ignore her. Another step and the ground moved again.
"Listen to me! Peasant!" She pressed her thumb into the side of his neck, digging her nail into his skin. "When I tell you to do something you do it! You don't get to ignore me! I am a princess."
"Ow! Ow! Stop that!"
"Then stop splashing me. Do you have any idea how bad that is for my scales?"
"Your scales? Why would I care about your stupid scales? What about my neck?"
"Of course, a drowner like you wouldn't understand how delicate scales like mine need to be treated. Now learn to walk without splashing me. And be quick about it."
"No."
"What?"
"I said 'no.'"
"One such as you does not refuse a princess."
"One such as me? I should drop you right here."
"You wouldn't dare! When my father hears about how you have treated me-"
"Your father isn't here. No one is but us. And I am not going anywhere until you – I don't know- at least apologize. Or something."
"Hylian."
"No, I'm not done. You are a horrible person. I thought I knew some bad people. But even Mido doesn't treat others like you. And I don't know, Ingo at least knows how to care for horses. What do you do but boss people around and hurt them?"
"Hylian!" She poked him on the neck again.
"I said to stop that! You know why no one takes you seriously? Because they all hate you. Because you're a whiny, selfish, annoying... mean... ugh! I've met kings and princesses before, and they at least try to help their people! What have you ever done for anyone else? No wonder everyone treats you like a child. You are one. You're worse than one."
"Link!"
"What?"
"Look!" Her hand pointed out past his eyes toward the side of the room.
Perhaps twenty paces away, the water rippled. A thin purple tentacle appeared before it descended back beneath the depths. It was larger than any Octorok arm he'd ever seen.
"What was that?"
"Move! Fool!"
Link turned around. Could he make it back to the shore?
"Where are you going? The Lord's Jewel. You need to bring me to the Lord's Jewel."
Another tentacle rose, this one much closer. Then another and another. Its body breached the water. Some twisted combination of a red and blue water flower and a Bari. Only far bigger than any he'd seen before. The shaking spindly arms reached toward them.
"Get to shore!" Link shouted.
"What? What are you-"
Link shook his shoulders and pulled Ruto's hands away from his neck. She splashed down behind him. She came out of the waters screeching, but it didn't matter what she was saying. Link watched the monster ascend. Its bulbous body and spinning tentacles flailed about, splashing the muck all around it.
Sword drawn; Link readied himself to meet the monster's assault. Too late to make it to dry land, he would fight half in the water. Where his legs would be slowed, and he couldn't even see the terrain beneath him. Just his luck.
The creature reached out with three massive tentacles. Two stretched and spun toward Link; the third went well over his head. It covered him in shadow and dripped sludge down over him. Link struck at the closest of the two tentacles that grabbed at him. Swinging the sword from one side to the other, he roared, hoping it would scare the monster away.
It did not.
As he hacked at one of the limbs, the other twisted about, lashing at him from the other side. Though it only grazed him, it stung with the painful magic of the Bari. Link gasped and shouted, weaving around to avoid the limbs as best he could. But no matter how he tried, the tentacles continued their assault.
Ruto screamed.
The tentacle over his head went taut. It must have her.
Pushing aside one of the creature's arms, he spun away from the other and jumped. His feet did not clear the water. Still, he swung with all his might. The last inch of the blade snipped into the tentacle, leaving a long gash that burst open, releasing squiggling white and blue pustules that sprouted from the wound.
"Link!"
The other two tentacles came for him. He slipped to his knee to dodge one. The thick liquid splashed up to his waist. He could feel it dripping from his nose. Pushing himself up, he jumped back to get to Ruto.
The beast had wrapped its arm around her. As she writhed, it pulsed with light. Just as the Bari did before releasing the lightning within them.
"Unhand me! You cannot treat me like this!"
"Hold on!" Link hacked at the limb with all his strength. His technique resembled more the work of a smith with a hammer than any form of swordsmanship Bethmasse taught him. It took three strikes until the limb severed. The sparking magic sprouted from the stump, it zapped into the air and lit the water. Link felt its sting run up his leg, his muscles seized. "Agh! Run, Ruto!"
The princess pulled herself from the tentacle. Her eyes wide with fear. "Look out."
Another of the creature's tentacles lifted into the air, the tip of it opened, sprouting like petals on a flower. Pulsing, it pointed at Link. The pain in his legs lessened enough for him to move. But he did not wish to get any closer to this creature and the lightning it could summon. Thankfully, this tentacle was much too far away.
Once the pulse ended, Link could rush in and strike. He would have some time before the next surge of magic.
But the pulsing on the blossomed limb did not stop. It crackled, the strands of lightning running across its surface, scorching the air before it.
Then it shot out, tearing toward Link. He dived, plunging beneath the foul waters. His mouth filled with an acidic steel taste. The bolt struck the water. Light, then pain, surrounded him. Every muscle in his body clenched. His spasm churned the filth of slime around him. Was that blood in his mouth? Everything burned. Everything hurt. He tried to breathe, but his mouth would not unclench, and his nose was filled with water.
I'm going to drown.
The water was shorter than he was tall. If only he could move, but his legs wouldn't stop shaking, and his arms couldn't pull himself up. When he tried to force his body to move, there was only pain.
Something wrapped around his chest, pulling him up. He broke free of the waters, gasping and choking as he filled his lungs with air. His moment of relief ruined when he saw what held him aloft. The creature's tentacle lifted him high. It swung him about, dragging him closer to the great bulbous pillar from which all the limbs grew.
His sword. Where was his sword? He couldn't feel his fingers, it was only when the tentacle twisted, and he was facing the ground did he see his weapon dangling from his clenched fingers. If he could cut himself loose. He needed to do something. Please let him do something.
His arm would not swing.
Only a tremor went through his fingers when he tried to adjust his grip.
And the monster continued to lift him high until he dangled over the center of it. A thousand writhing feelers reached for him. They glowed, pulsing with energy. The tentacle lowered him.
Move, arm. Move. Do something!
The mass of tangled arms spread apart, revealing a gaping toothless maw. The deep pit of flesh that constricted with the surges of light.
It's going to eat me.
Help.
The mouth grew wide as he dropped toward it.
Swing arm. Move. Please. Help. Please.
Lightning and flesh, magic and death, it pulsed over and over. His head slipped inside.
"Help."
Water crashed down upon him. The monster reeled; its arms swung about. Another wave smashed into them. Link slipped free of the tentacle. He fell, striking the side of the creature's body. Though both he and the monster were swept up in the roiling waters. He slammed into the walls of the room. The force of the water pinned him there, stuck beside the monster.
What was happening?
Then the water lurched and carried him away. He swung halfway across the room before being deposited on the damp ground. Only a thin sheen of green liquid remained of the once thigh-deep pool. The creature did not stop. The wave carried him from one wall to the other. Its arms reaching out, trying to force itself free. But whenever a limb breached the wall of water, the wave would swell and crack into it again.
Princess Ruto stood before it. Her hands stretched out before her, she swirled them about, and as she moved the wave moved with her. When she pulled her arms back the wave would reel and swirl around the monster, and when she thrust her hands forward, the wave slammed the gargantuan Bari into the wall.
"What are you waiting for?" She shouted over her shoulder. "Do I have to do everything?"
Link's foot twitched, then his hand. The pain still lingered but he forced his fist down. Pushing himself to his knees, then to his feet. With staggered uneven steps, he walked to the monster. His hands still shook. His arms still burned. But when he raised his blade, it did not matter. Too large to miss and unable to defend itself, the beast could do nothing but thrash about.
The blade plunged through the slime, into the pink sacs of fluid that was the monster's body. With each thrust, his sword pierced deeper into the rubbery flesh. Clear liquid seeped from the growing wound. The monster writhed in pain, but Link did not stop. Not until he'd carved through it. Not until the tentacles hung limp, and it moved only through the force of Ruto's wave.
Only then did the waters relent. The corpse spilled onto the ground, and the pool refilled and went still as though nothing had happened. It was done. Link did his best to wipe his blade clean before returning it to its sheath, but he soon realized the futility of the effort.
"There," Ruto reached his side. "You see, I do help people. I will now accept your apology for all those horrid lies you said."
Link glared at her. His body still burned from the creature's sting. No. He would not deal with this brat any further. "Apologize? For what?"
"Yes, apologize. For saying those untrue things and for dropping me into the fetid waters after I specifically told you not to."
"You could have done that the entire time! All the Octoroks I fought to get us here. All the passageways I cleared. I carried you! And you could have swept them all away just by waving your hands around!"
"That would have been labor, and nobility does not sully their hands with such tasks." She said with a smug smirk that made Link want to scream.
Instead, he turned his back on her.
"What? Where are you going? Where's my apology?"
"I'm finishing this," he muttered. He waded through the pool all the way to the other side. The entire time, Ruto screamed at him to wait. But he didn't. Not until he reached the floating stone.
"You'll never touch it. The Lord's Jewel is meant for lords."
He grasped the Sapphire. Its weight returned. The wariness in his arms almost made him drop it. Ruto would have loved that. Instead, he managed to clutch it to his body, keeping it steady. Grabbing his bag, now heavy and filled with grime, he opened it and placed the Sapphire beside the Ruby. Now he held two of them. And the fairies had the third. All he needed was to ask Lord Jabu-Jabu where to hide them so Ganondorf could never collect all three.
He was almost done with this adventure.
But then what would he do?
"Peasant! I'm talking to you. What are you doing with my jewel?"
"It's not yours. It's Lord Jabu-Jabu's, and I'm going to take it. I'm going to bring it somewhere safe."
"No, you are not. Thief! You are going to give it to me this very instant."
"No."
"You cannot refuse me!"
"Yes, I can. Want to see? No. And maybe if more people had before you wouldn't need a stone to make people respect you."
"Give it to me, now. For my future husband. You have to." Her voice was almost pleading, begging, as if she was on the verge of tears.
Link looked away from her, feeling a pang of guilt. Why should he? He didn't owe this girl anything. He wasn't the one being mean. "Listen, Ruto. If you want to be respected, you must earn it. You have to be good. You can't demand respect just by waving a stone around."
"Give it to me."
"No."
"Please," her voice was barely a whisper. "I'm asking you. Nicely. Please give it to me."
"I'm sorry, but no. This is important. I need to take it."
"But my fiancé needs it too."
"I'm sorry Ruto." He turned away from her, heading back the way they came.
"No, I'm sorry," Ruto said. Her hand touched his side and went to his hip. Steel slid free of its leathers.
"What are you do-"
The blade plunged into Link's back before he could turn.
"I'm sorry," Ruto sobbed.
Link fell to his knees, a sword erupting out of his side. His sword. The weapon the Great Deku Tree said was his birthright. The one thing the wise old tree feared would bring destruction. "Why?"
"I didn't want to do this. But my love. He demands it. He must have the jewel."
Link grabbed at the steel hanging out of him. Blood welled up between his fingers. Hot and slick, pouring down his side, mixing with the slime. "You… you killed me." He slumped over and splashed into the grime so only his head and shoulder remained above the water. It didn't hurt. That was the strange thing. It should. He knew it should. But he just felt as if what little energy he had left was ripped away. "You killed me."
Ruto cried as if she had been the one stabbed, but her tears did not stop her from opening Link's bag and pulling out the Sapphire.
He couldn't look at her anymore. He didn't want Princess Ruto to be the last thing he saw. He turned away, trying to find something, anything, else. His eyes were so tired. There was really nothing here. A dead monster that he took no pride in beating. His open wound. The strange muscles that he called a door.
The Great Deku Tree had been right all along. Violence and swords were his end. If only he had gotten out and watched a sunrise once more.
At least he would no longer be alone.
The muscles pulled away. The door opened as his head sunk beneath the muck.