Sorry for the incredibly long wait, I had a combonation of writers block and 'I'm Lazy' syndrome. Don't worry, I didn't forget ya.

chapter 5: farewells


We walked back up the slope and presented the king with the sapphire. “So, your mission was successful, then.”

“Yes, and princess Zelda seems to have tried the same thing, as we ended up rescuing the sage, princess Ruto.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you did.” The current king was not related to Ruto in any form, but he was her father’s first pick for new king on his deathbed. They were good friends while he was alive, and probably felt some debt to repay by protecting Ruto in any way he could. I had seen pictures of the old king, and realized just how much more our king was like the rest of the Zoras.

After some hesitation, the he spoke: “Markus, do you know how you came to be here?” I did, for the most part. I had been discovered as a baby right where I just returned from, on the doorstep of the water temple. A Zora scouting party had found me, presented me to the king, and left me in the collective care of the Zora kingdom.

“Yes, sir.” I said.

“Then you surely know you cannot remain here forever.”

I thought about what he said, then realized what he meant. “You want to send me to castle town?”

“Exactly. You have proven yourself more competent than any Hylian knight. You might even be able to rival the hero, in time.... heh. You’ve done all you can here, and now you must help elsewhere. Something huge, and dark, is fast approaching, and I’d hate for someone as skilled as you to waste time and life by staying here.”

“Yes, my lord. Thank you.” I accepted the praise, but I did not know who he meant by ‘the hero’.

“I realize it may be hard to leave some things here. I won’t force you to leave until tomorrow morning. Say all your goodbyes by then. And, Ralek,” He said, turning slightly to the right to face him, “You may go with him if you wish. But this time, it’s up to you.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Ralek said with a bow.

“I will keep you here no longer. Go, do what you need, and ready yourself for the approaching journey. You are dismissed.” We left his chamber, and swam back to the basin.
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“So, are you coming along, too?” I asked Ralek as he helped me pack some essentials into a backpack. It was about four o’ clock at this point.

“Hmm...” He said hesitantly. “I dunno... I’m not sure I would be much help out of water... plus, I’m not so sure a zora in castle town, after so many years of not leaving, would go over well with the townsfolk.”

“True. I’m sure I could find some use for you though.”

“That’s what I’m scared of!” We laughed, then finished packing without any other comments. I looked over what I’d be carrying.

A sleep roll: the trek down was a day and a half to walk, and the train didn’t run by the domain, because who would use it? My sword and guitar: I need money to buy supplies, and I could play for a decent amount of rupees. A small rod and tackle box: I’d be traveling along the northern river, and could use it for food and water. Lastly, my wallet, stuffed with roughly 30 rupees.

“Hey...” I said, picking up my guitar case. “How ‘bout one last show? Before at least I leave?”

“Yeah... Yeah, sounds good!” Ralek said. He ran to his room, and returned with his harp. Zoras didn’t usually play music, but when one did, it was usually a harp they played. I had blown all my savings when a Hylian guitar was put up in shop, and it paid for itself in no-time. Ralek had learned the harp a year earlier, so we decided to form a band, and the entire domain would always crowd around us whenever we played.

We crept down to the central lake, trying to be inconspicuous, but a few Zoras noticed nonetheless, and began tailing us excitedly. We mounted a large rock that jutted out of the bottom of the lake; it had fallen from the ceiling years ago.

We unsheathed our instruments and I slammed my hand down onto the strings, producing a long, echoing note. All was silent for a moment, then Zoras began flooding in almost as easily as the water they swam upon. We exchanged a satisfied smirk, and began playing.
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Hours later, we returned to my room, arms thoroughly tired, and wits slightly dulled from some drinks we had after the concert. I put my guitar in the corner, and flopped down sideways on my bed. Ralek sat next to me, massaging his wrist. We sat silently, no doubt both buried in thought.

What’s he thinking...? I thought. Is he thinking about the trip? I considered asking him, but decided it would be better not to broach the subject again. He stood up abruptly.

“Well, I guess I’d better head back to my room. We’ll all need to get up early tomorrow. ‘Night.” He left my room, leaving me to ponder what he said. We ALL? It occurred to me that I was far to tired to figure anything out, and righted myself in bed and quickly fell asleep.
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That's right, I worked a rocker into Zelda. So, what d'you think?