Evil's Bane II: Curse of the Zora [T]

Nestled in a quiet, secluded cove of coral and dark rock, Princess Reyla ran her orange fingers across her pendant, feeling the finely-cut circular red stones. She thought it a strange piece of jewelry, as red gems were quite uncommon and generally passed over in favor of blue sapphires and black pearls. The trident that split the trio of precious stones was another weird symbol and extremely rare. Reyla remembered only ever seeing one before, on the sacrificial wall engraved in one of the corners, nearly unnoticeable unless you were looking specifically for it.

Her grandmother had told her of the trident, the horn, and of her pendant, the Keys of the Ancients, as she called them, many times before she went away to the waterways underneath the city. She never returned after that. Many of the other Zoras said that she was a bad person for going down there, that she had tried to find the oracle without being summoned. No one went looking for the oracle. Not ever. And those that did were never seen again. Surely her grandmother was not so foolish.

That was when Reyla decided to go looking for her grandmother. All her friends did not believe her when she said that she was going into the waterways, told her she was crazy for even thinking it, but she did not care. Her grandmother could have been in trouble and maybe she was the only one that could save her. The guards of the city, and even her father, would not help her. She begged and begged for days, but they were scared. Scared of the oracle and the places of the old city.

Reyla turned the pendant over and looked at the strange engraving, a picture of a Zora holding a sword up in the air in one hand, a shield in his other hand. She thought it silly. Swords were useless weapons in the ocean, as they were slow and too short. Shields were useless too, as it was easier in water to dodge an attack, rather than block it. That Link boy had a sword and shield, but he was a landwalker. Real Zora warriors used spears and air bombs.

Reyla smiled. It had taken her so long to find the pendant. Even though she never found her grandmother, at least she knew she was on the right track. She wondered how long she was in the waterways before she found her way back out. Surely it had only been an hour or two. She thought about her father, wondering if he had sent the guards after her yet. Usually he would let her do whatever she wanted, but would have her brought home in the evening for supper.

Thinking about it, she was not hungry just yet. She decided to keep looking for the rest of the day in the waterways, feeling that she was very close to another clue to finding her grandmother. Then, once she found her, she could take her back to the city and prove to everyone that she was not crazy or a bad person and just got lost. Maybe she had even found something from the old city that they could then bring back and show everyone.

Draping the gold chain back over her head, Reyla pushed off the rock and swam back toward the southern face of the city, heading to a small opening near the base that lead to the waterways. Her grandmother told her of it, of where it was and how to navigate it, and made her promise not to tell anyone else about it. It was their secret, just like the Keys of the Ancients. They were the only ones that knew it, and she had to keep it that way.

Coming to the opening, Reyla looked around, making sure she was not follow. Satisfied she was not, she forced all the air out of her body through her gills, making her slender frame slightly smaller, and shot into the gap, going against the outward-flowing current. She was almost too big for the space, her head being the main culprit, but at least the passage was smooth and not jagged so she could slide against it.

Twisting and wriggling through the tube, she came to a spot where the passage cut downward at a near vertical angle. She hated this part. Stopping to take a couple of quick breaths, which where hard enough to do in such a cramped space, she then arced her back and slithered around the bend, pushing and clawing forward with all the strength she could manage.

The edge of the corner was slightly more straight and it pinched her belly as she slid over it, making her grimace, but she had to retain focus. If she went in at the wrong angle here then her head would get stuck and she could be trapped. That only happened the first time, and she was caught there for a good long while, but then she remember that she somehow got free.

She did not remember how she got through exactly, only that she did.
Spinning a little to the right so her body kept an even contour with the tunnel, she kicked her legs in the water and pulled along the wall with her outstretched fingers to give her a little more speed.

Knowing the twists and turns of the tunnel by memory, as she had made the trip dozens of times now, Reyla swam and pulled at a breakneck speed, her body matching the claustrophobia-inducing space perfectly. Good thing she did not wait to come down and look when she was a little older, as then she would have been too big to even get through the opening.

Halfway there. She smiled to herself at the ease in which she was making it through this time. Every now and again she would get stuck, usually her head, though she did get her shoulders lodged in one nearly-impossible angle once. That was a memory she wished she could forget.

Moving faster than she usually did, wishing to have more time to hunt, she took one corner too fast and the edge caught the gold chain on her pendant, snapping open two of the golden rings. The red gems of the pendant glimmered in the sparse light and the piece drifted behind, flowing outward with the current.

She stopped in her place and gasped, trying to pull one of her arms down to try and catch the pendant, but her shoulders were too wide and the space too narrow.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, trying to push backward. "Come back!"

Reyla fumbled around with her feet, hoping to grasp the chain or the pendant with her toes, but she could not find it. The current must have swept it away, and there was no way she would be able to turn around until she got all the way through to the first open bubble.

"Blast!" She fought back the tears. "Don’t go too far! I’ll come back for you!"

Pushing forward with rekindled determination, Reyla went even faster than before, navigating the tunnel like the way a turtle surfs the undertow; relentless and by heart. The painful nooks, the lumbar-stretching sudden corkscrews, and the u-shaped redirects all flew by.

Then, right where it was supposed to be, Reyla exploded out into a large expanse of open water. She called it a bubble, as it was like a bubble of air but filled with water, a place where she could take in some deep breaths or, in this case, turn around and go back out.

Not stopping for long, Reyla flung herself back into the tunnel to find her pendant, doing the process again but now in reverse. Going out this way was always harder for her, as she had not done it as much. There was a shortcut from the waterways into the main city, a high drop into the reservoir near the throne room. She wished she could access the waterways from there each time, as she hated coming through the small tunnel because the thought of getting stuck always bothered her, but so far she had not found any other way in.

Her grandmother must have though, because she was a little bigger than Reyla; there was no way she could fit.

Twisting and contorting through the constricting tube, she had to take it a little slower to ensure she did not get stuck. She hated getting stuck. Making it about halfway back to the open ocean, she suddenly heard a faint rumbling noise and felt the water around her quake. The smooth rock against her body vibrated gently, and bits and flakes peeled off, floating into the water.

Stopping for a second, wondering what was happening, Reyla heard a voice, dark and terrible, on the outside of the city.

"Poor little Zora, caught between rock," the Leviathan spoke into the tunnel, it’s breath reeking of devoured flesh. "Death is thy wish, and death I have wrought!

Reyla froze. She was trapped in the tunnel, defenseless. She could not go back the other way, as she would be sure to get stuck, and the Leviathan was at the other. Her already-compressed gills began to heave with anxiety.

"Your hero is dead, his body is mine...now he’s mine meal, and now you’re out of time!"

"Get lost, Leviathan!" Reyla shouted bravely into the water, hoping the beast would leave her alone. "I won’t hear your lies!"

The Leviathan snickered. ‘Believe me to be true, believe me to be not...I do care not, for now you, too, shall rot!"

Reyla felt the current in the tunnel quicken and her body being pulled along with it. A loud, rushing noise filled the tube, and the Leviathan’s rancid breath receded.

He was sucking her out.

Reyla pushed against the rock and dragged her feet, but had not the strength to keep the Leviathan’s lungs at bay.

"No!" she screamed at the beast. "You can’t have me!"

The pull stopped for a second, but was followed by a vile laughter. "Already taken is your red flesh...fledgling youth, you are dead, at the best!"

Reyla’s eyes widened. The memory came back. This had happened before, though she had tried so hard to forget it.

She had forgotten that she was dead.

"Come to me, Zora, surrender your soul...so I may be sated, so I may be whole!"

The pull started again, drawing the Zora out of the tunnel. Fighting even more so than before, Reyla pushed so hard against the rock that her fingers and toes started to bleed.

"Come to your fate, come to your pendant...so I may be filled with all your descendants!"

Finally losing the strength, Reyla let go and shot out of the tunnel, into the open water of the ocean. The gaping maw of the Leviathan stood there, waiting, bubbles of air and debris being pulled into that black morass of death and decay.

Accepting her fate, Reyla closed her eyes, hoping it would be over quick. But then, flying seemingly out of nowhere, a long, golden Zoran spear cut through the water, striking the Leviathan in it’s right cheek, piercing through into it’s mouth. The beast reeled and spun, fleeing into the dark waters away from the city.

Reyla opened her eyes, both surprised and relieved that she was not taken by the monster; a painful memory to relive. Looking to her right, two armored guards were swimming hard toward her, one having his own spear at the ready.

"Are you okay?" one shouted as they neared.

Reyla nodded silently, unsure if she should let the guards see her. She remembered now what had happened to her, how long it had truly been. She wondered why she had forgotten it, and had lost all sense of time. It all was still so strange.

As the guards came closer, one stopped and pulled back a little, unsure of what he was seeing. The other stopped as well, but only because of his comrade.

"What is it?" the second guard asked of his partner. "What do you see?"

The first guard stared at Reyla and pulled off his helmet. He rubbed his eyes, distrusting what he was seeing.

"Reyla?" he asked of the Princess. "Is that really you?"

Her eyes welled up. She wished it was really herself that they were seeing. Unable to cope with any more, she pushed away and swam off into the dark, following the light trail of blood from the Leviathan’s wound.

"Reyla?" The second guard was skeptical. "She’s been dead for ten years, brother."

"That was her!" his partner replied. "I’d swear my life upon it!"

The second guard was about to repute his partner’s statement when he saw something golden glittering on the ocean floor. Swimming down to it, he snatched it up and held it high for the other guard to see.

"We need to see King Ras," he replied at the sight of the pendant. "Now!"

Link’s consciousness stirred, faint colors and indiscernible images beginning to flash before his mind. At first all he felt was warmth, like bathing in a hot spring, enveloping his body entirely. He felt safe, secure, slumbering peacefully. He wondered who he was, where this place lie, and what futures may come to bear.

Without warning, his protective bubble sheared open and all the warmth escaped, being replaced by a freezing cold. He felt naked, stripped clean of all that he once held dear, left precariously out in the open without that shielding embrace.

Then the true images began to come forth. He saw a crumbling Hyrule castle under cover of moonlight, painted in fire and blood, followed soon after by the rolling hills of Hyrule field, now a mass of armored corpses; Hylian, Gerudo, Goron, and Zora alike. A dark rider upon a black horse, wrapped in an impenetrable guise of smoke and ruin, was close behind as the image fled south toward Lake Hylia, away from the castle and the smoldering battlefield, his horse fuming from the nostrils in the cold of night.

It then made sense. They were his memories. From womb to death, they were slowly replaying in front of him, though they were portrayed as if watching from someone else’s eyes, coldly displaced. How or why, he did not know, but he was sure there was a reason for it.

Then, making him flinch, he saw her face. Never before had he been able to remember her, beyond mere feelings and faint nuances of memory, though he knew without a doubt it was his mother.

Rachael.

She was beautiful, more so than he had ever imagined. Her light hair was bound up in a intricately woven bun with red wooden picks keeping it secure, and an elegant white dress draped lightly from her shoulders, flowing to the ground and reflecting the moonlight in the field. The hem of the dress was soaked in blood and dirt, drifting along the ground like a waving ocean tide as she fled.

She looked terrified.

Wishing he could freeze the memory upon her, Link realized he had the same eyes and hair color as her, though the rest must have come from his father, Carnelian, another memory he did not retain from his youth.

Pondering the thought, he wondered where his father was during all of this.

Rachael desperately ran from the dark rider, an infant Link, wrapped in a green blanket, clutched tightly against her chest. Though the man was on horseback, he seemed to be keeping his distance, only following closely enough to keep Rachael on the move toward some unseen destination. It was almost as if he were toying with her, seeing how far she would go to save her child.

It was Ganondorf. Though his face was veiled by a dark cowl, Link was sure of it.

Link had no true cognizant thought at the time of the memory, but the stories that were told to him when he was older spoke of that war and that final battle where the good King of Hyrule, Princess Zelda’s father, Gustaf, led his armies to victory and united the lands.

The Unifying War.

Strife and malcontent had ripped the entire country apart when each and every race, save the enigmatic Kokiri, vied for supremacy and throne of Hyrule, left empty by a murdered King without a heir. Soon after, when all attempts at diplomacy had failed, the land was besieged by war.

Thousands were lost in the fierce battles and unending bloodshed until then-general Gustaf gained enough ground and support to seize the throne and bring peace back into the lands. He was not of pure noble blood, but only on his mother’s side, though he still managed to usher in an era of prosperity and confluence, save the departure of the Gerudo from the Hyrulean Council.

A time of accord...at least for eleven years before the Gerudo returned.

Link watched the memory, wanting to help his mother, wishing to be able to stay with her, to speak with her. There were so many things left unsaid, untold. So many secrets still buried in the sands of time. Though he was overjoyed to see her, it tore him apart knowing he could do nothing to save or communicate with her.

Rachael flew past the lone windmill at the center of Hyrule Field as fast as her feet would carry her, passing by the wounded and the dead nearby, the dark rider in close pursuit. The entirety of the field had become a graveyard, dyed red with the blood of the motherland, giving rise to the roaming undead, the Stalchildren, some years later.

Growing bolder, the rider urged his horse on and closed in on his target, reaching out for Link with a black-gloved hand. Rachael swatted the hand away and turned east, toward the distant forest, and pushed even harder. The downward-sloping terrain and the crumbling defensive walls about the field blocked the rider’s pursuit, forcing him to find a way around to catch his prey before she escaped.

Her pursuer now some distance behind, Rachael’s feet stumbled and she nearly fell. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she leaned against a near tree, her entire body trembling from the speedy flight. One of the red pins in her hair had shuffled loose, lost somewhere in the field, letting a few wandering strands drape into her eyes.

She gently sobbed against the tree, letting out her anger and grief.

Link tried to react, tried to reach out to her, but had no control. This vision was all he had, and he was powerless to do anything. Something dreadful had happened, though he had no idea what. All he knew was that she was once inside Ganon’s tower, out in the desert, before he was born. Beyond that, he had no inkling as to her, or his, true past.

The rider’s horse came over the crest of a near hill, illuminated by the sinking moon behind the burning castle in the distance. He gave his horse a spur, it’s legs kicking up into the air and producing a deep, guttural whinny that set a chill into Link’s heart. Drawing out a dark-bladed sword, the rider aimed it at Rachel as he sped toward his target.

Giving out a faint gasp, Rachael again picked up her feet and sped toward the eastern wall of Hyrule and the entrance to Kokiri Forest, the place where Link was raised. Though as she neared, Link noticed there was no break in the wall, as there was when he was older. It was solid rock, with no sign of the cleft that led into the Deku Tree’s domain.

His eyes frantically searched the surrounding wall for the escape that would lead them into the protection of the forest, but he saw none. It did not make sense. Suddenly the memory had shifted into a nightmare; it was not right. He knew that his mother had placed him in the care of the Deku Tree before passing on, mortally wounded, and yet the way into the woods was not where it should have been.

Coming to a stop at the wall, the sound of the rider’s horse dangerously near, Rachael turned her head and stuck her back up against the rock. Gripping Link tightly, wrapping her arms about him in a protective embrace, she screamed as the rider’s sword came crashing down upon them.

“Link!” A voice entered into his mind and the memory vanished, the vision being replaced by darkness. “Link, wake up!”

It took a moment, but Link soon realized he was alive. At once relieved and confused, he reveled in the feeling of having sensation in his fingertips once more. He felt his heart beating within his chest, his lungs heaving and taking in sweet oxygen. His nostrils picked up a faint nuance of herbs and spices, somewhat akin to a potion shop, and he felt a soft and warm bed beneath him, comfortably supporting his body.

“Link!” the voice repeated. “Can you hear me?”

Link smiled. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was his old friend, Cale.

“He’s alive!” Cale yelled in joyous exhilaration. “Look, he’s smiling! Praise the Goddesses, he’s alive!”

“Link?” Mara’s subdued, yet relieved, voice followed. “Are you really in there?”

Link tried to open his eyes, to break away from the tight grip that held him motionless, but to no avail. His friends were alive, and with him no less, just on the other side of his closed eyelids, and yet he was again powerless to break through the chains that bound him.

“No,” the strange voice of a man said. “He’s not quite ready to be awake. He is alive, thankfully so. I did not believe it would, but I guess it worked.”

Link felt a warm hand on his chest, delicately soft to the touch, right over his heart.

“Sleep then, Link.” Mara kept her hand on her friend, wishing him strength. “We will return in the morning.”

Link struggled again to awaken himself. He had so much to do, so many questions that needed answering. He had died. He remembered the Leviathan tearing into him, the memory almost more painful than the event. He remembered everything going dark, and then light, then dark again, before turning into the memory of his mother. Whatever had happened to him, he wanted to know and wanted to know now.

“Okay, everyone out,” the stranger said. “You too, Chamberlain. He would not have survived without you, but now all he needs is rest.”

Link’s heart froze. The Chamberlain was the Zora who tortured him when he was first taken into the city. What was he doing here? He had helped him after causing him so much pain? Why?

“Very well, Master Healer,” the Chamberlain’s aged and straining voice said. “I will return to my duties. Please summon me when he is ready for talking.”

Footsteps could be heard leading out of whatever room he was in, and Link suddenly felt all alone before he again drifted away, though this time into a dreamless slumber, devoid of any pictures or feelings.

“Sleep, Link,” Cale’s voice came in from the outside of the room, right before Link lost all consciousness. “For tomorrow we may not be so lucky.”

Oh... my... Din! Che cazzo? What in Sam's Hell is going on here? Actual fan-fiction, in the form of a dream? The chamberlain, alive? Or dead... is Link in heaven? And for the love of all that is good in the world, why do I keep asking rhetorical questions?

Question One: is there a correct answer to any of your questions?
Question Two: if there are answers, do I know them?
Question Three: is it not possible for me to write without leaving questions?

I actually was planning on wrapping up some of the loose threads with this chapter, or at least somewhat. This little...digression was a spur of the moment thing, though it's importance will come around...eventually.

Originally Posted by Doran_Bladefist

Question One: is there a correct answer to any of your questions?
Question Two: if there are answers, do I know them?
Question Three: is it not possible for me to write without leaving questions?

I actually was planning on wrapping up some of the loose threads with this chapter, or at least somewhat. This little...digression was a spur of the moment thing, though it's importance will come around...eventually.

You are a very mean person =P Always with the suspense, and you just added a whole lot more. Way to "wrap up some loose ends" lol. Hurry with the next chapter!

P.S. By the way, I like the addition of the OoT dream.

Originally Posted by Layke

You are a very mean person =P

Yes...yes, I know.

P.S. By the way, I like the addition of the OoT dream.

Me too. I had this inkling when I started writing that chapter. It spoke to me, whimsically whispering into my wintry worming, and it said that I needed to make this as difficult for myself as possible.

That aspect of the story was not intended nor even imagined until I was sitting there, typing away, trying to skillfully (?) wrap my mind around the hole I had dug myself into. I needed something nostalgic yet distant, relative yet unexplored, to tie into the work, lest it become so intangible to the game canon that it loses it's luster. Expect more dawdling into Link's forgotten past, as well as the continuation of the Zora thread.

Multiple storylines at once? OMG!

P.S.

CTL: OoT/MM - TP - ?

ATL: OoT/EB - WW/PH - EB - CotZ - LoZ/AoL - OoS/OoA - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/?/LA - ?.

Tower of Hera. That is all.

have not finished yet but its awesome from what i have read. I'll post more when i read more.

I have a silly question does posting on a fan fic when you are reading it but it has been here for a while...does it count as reviving an old thread?

Not unless the last post was a month ago... which it wasn't.

And Doran: good use of rhetoric. I never have fully understood it, but that's obviously an example. And your timeline makes sense enough. What's with the question marks, though?

Question marks are self-explanatory, dear sir, else they would not be.

Yea, sorry for the long drought between posts. The next chapter for CotZ is mostly finished, but I haven't really had the extra time to wrap it up and polish it. Between work, my book, and a certain side project that will be posted soon, I'm swamped.

After possibly the longest hiatus I have ever had between chapters before, here is the next chapter for the novella. Apologies to all, especially to those who were eagerly awaiting the next roundabout. Things just got swept under the rug for the past month (as the first line of the chapter will no doubt portray ). So, with no further delay, please enjoy the next segment, though I am sure there will be a few of you who will shake your fists in ire and contempt for my person.

Seemingly an age since he last drew breath, Link’s eyes opened, a flurry of color brandishing before him. He gently smiled, feeling more alive than ever, taking in slow, sweet breaths time and time again. He sat up, rubbed the sleep away from his face, and glanced around.

He was indeed within a potion shop, or an apothecary of some sort, the walls and floors of dark rock lined with all kinds of tonics, elixirs, strange metal devices, and a plethora of small wooden boxes, presumably filled with spices and herbs. An aged, solitary painting hung on the wall, abstract and without definable form, it’s colors mute, dreary, and strangely placed within a room of unending color.

“Link of High Rule” Cale, the woodsman long thought dead, stood in the doorway, a book in his hands. “Took you long enough.”

Link’s eyes beamed at the sight of his long-lost friend. He was a tall, gaunt man, a woodsman to the bone, dressed in the earthy browns and greens of his kinsfolk. A friend and a Hylian descendant, though his bloodline was mixed, Cale took Link in and protected him, taught him all about the world that he had so blindly fell into, the world of Veritas and the conquering Gerudo. A grand adventure it had been, full of great deeds and heroic ventures, but this now was different.

Cale had followed Link on this doomed quest, sailing away from the homeland in search of something undefinable, and had wound up entangled within the same web, drawn down to the bottom of the ocean. Link felt for him, wished he had never had to become involved. It seemed that trouble followed him wherever he went, and it was always those closest to him that paid the ultimate price.

The death of Zelda was proof of that.

“How you feeling?” Cale set the red-bound book upon a near rack of vials and took a seat at the edge of the bed. “You’ve been out cold for two days now. Had us worried sick, you did!”

Link glanced to the door, hoping the other one that was lost would come.

“Mara is out on errands with your healer, gathering some kind of seaweed...I think. Never knew much about things of the waters, so it’s all Sheikah to me.” Cale licked his lips, catching himself from digressing to far away from the situation at hand. “She’ll be here soon enough. But first, I think we both have a few good stories to tell.”

Link smiled.

“Fine, I’ll go first.” Cale gave him a reassuring grip of the shoulder, and then stood to his feet. “When the ship went down, I thought we were all goners. The lower hold kept together for longer than I expected, only slowly taking on water as we plunged. I couldn’t see a damn thing, as the windows went black and out candles had been washed out. If it weren’t for Mara, we’d a drowned for sure.”

Link raised an eyebrow.

“She did something with her hands, something I had never seen. Must have been a remnant of her shadow power. She rubbed them together faster and faster, and ever so slowly a light came to. Can’t explain it, really, but it made a kind of orb, which she dropped into the water, giving us plenty of light, even as the sea came rushing in.”

Cale’s sight wandered off. “Nasty business, drowning upon a distant ocean. I can only imagine those souls who did not make it, those who had to fall in utter blackness. Dreadful...I can only imagine.”

Link glanced away as well, preferring not to think about it.

“But anyway,” Cale resumed, “the ship shot straight down, like an arrow loosed from a string. The hull didn’t fully crack open until we struck the bottom, and from there all hell broke loose.”

“The shipmates were lost, flung out to the farthest reaches of our sight, and only me and Mara remained. We knew ourselves to be doomed, but at the last moment hope came. Carrying a lantern of blue light, a Zora, of which I had never seen, came to us. I thought them but legend, stories of the old clans, and you of course, but there one was, as blue as the water itself.”

Link perked up, his eyes unbelieving.

“I thought there were Zora in your own time, were there not? Why do you act so surprised?”

“Because he has not yet seen one of our kind,” the voice of the healer came from outside the curtained door. “This will be a first meeting for us.”

The healer slowly moved into the doorway, a somber, nervous grin on his face. He was tall and thin, just as all Zoras should be, but he had one characteristic that the Zoras in the spire did not share: he was blue. As blue as any River Zora Link had ever seen, with streaks of white cutting down his belly and onto his legs. Another interesting slit of white ran across his face at an angle, moving from above his right eye, down across his nose, and onto his left cheek. Though it was just a marking, it looked like that of a scar.

“This one has only seen the other Zoras. The ones in the deep ocean. One like myself and my clan...it has been ages.”

Link nodded with respect to the healer, immediately taking note of the way he carried himself; a Zora, a warrior, a chieftain. His position was high, he did not doubt it. There was no immediate pride showing through, but it was there, carefully hidden and draped within a guise of immovable strength.

This Zora was the embodiment that the others were missing, what made them strange and alien. This one, descended from the river-folk themselves, stood as they were intended; noble, righteous, and unwavering.

Kings amongst men.

“My name is Reus, young Link. And I welcome you into my house. Please take rest here for as long as you desire. These waters are well protected...for the moment.”

“This one is a miracle worker.” Cale put on his rugged facade, hiding away his past consternation. “Brought you back from the dead, he did.”

Link looked to the Zora with pleading eyes, his heart and memory full of holes.

Reus gave a warmhearted smile. “Can you stand?”

Cale sprang up and moved out of the way, ready to lend a hand if needed.

Link pushed to the edge of the bed and tested his feet, taking Cale’s offered hand without hesitation. Gingerly pulling up, his innards feeling as if he had been buried under a mountain, he winced as he nodded.

“Good. Take my arm, young hero. Let’s go for a walk.”

Like an old man getting support from a grandchild, or a toddler leaning upon his mother, Link gripped the scaly arm of the healer and cautiously shuffled his feet to the door and out into the adjoining hall. His limbs were there, and he had full control of them, but they seemed distant, unbound, almost foreign. Each step sent strange feelings through his entire body, coursing and tingling, as if he had never felt it before. Slowly he adjusted, but it bothered him nonetheless.

“It will come in time, Link.” Reus said, keeping his eyes on the floor ahead for obstacles. “Not many have ever recovered as fast as you have, let alone been able to walk. You have some strength to you still, hero. I pray it lasts.”

Link did not respond, his thoughts focused on keeping his feet moving.

“This is the city of my people, young sir. I pray it suits you for the times to come.”

Just as Reus finished his sentence, the obscure hallway that Link noticed little of opened up into a simple, yet elegant cavern, carved out of natural rock. Glimmering quartz crystals lined the walls and floors, making the entire place shimmer with light, provided by a large, blue orb at the room’s center.

A blue light not unlike where he first encountered the Leviathan. Though less in intensity, the similarities could not be denied. Row after row of coral and algae circled the light, making it seem as if it were a life-giver, the source of all things living. In it’s presence, Link, too, felt a slight raise in his spirits. He counted it as a trick of the mind, but reveled in the strength given.

And then he saw them. Zora children, by the hundreds, moving about in the caverns. Some orange, some blue, even some of a newly-seen brown color, they were legion. A stark contrast of the spire, this place was a cradle of life, of new beginnings.

Link suddenly felt he had stumbled upon a cycle beyond himself. A city of the dying...and what seemed to be a city of the dead. Something foul was at work here, something farther spread and deeper than he had first anticipated. Whatever it was that had begun such a separation of the Zora, he knew it would be up to him to solve it.

If anything, his innate curiosity just had to know. Nothing could be so cruel as to create a species that revels in it’s own demise even to the point that their children abandon them. But Ras seemed to think that they were taken. Perhaps this Reus character, apparently the only adult amongst the throngs of adolescents, had abducted them all. He sensed no ill works or contempt from the Zora, but he had been wrong before.

Not often, but once.

“My children.” Reus said after a minute. “At least, they are under my care. I provide, my only payment in return knowing that they will survive and endure the coming age. The Zora people, be they once fractured and decimated, will thrive once more.”

“Quite a sight, yes?” Cale chimed in. “Never before in my days would I have dreamed to see such a thing, and yet here it is, plain as day. Marvelous, to say the least.”

Link released his hold on the Zora, feeling strong enough to stand on his own.

Reus smiled, and clasped his hands behind his back. “It is the orb that gives you strength. It’s name, I do not know. Nor do I know of it’s properties. All I can tell is that it has saved more lives than can be counted. Any who are brought here, be they man or beast, be they of rock or flesh, benefit from it’s subtle rays. It is a mother of the earth, a healing spring of power. If you are ever in need of strength, it will always provide.”

Link nodded, wondering if any of it could be captured in a bottle.

“Link!”

Nearly jumping from the sudden call of his name, Link glanced to his right and saw the other friend he thought lost. Unable to hide his vivacity, his complexion beamed.

Dressed in the flowing black robes of her people, Mara, Zelda’s daughter and his close friend, stood at the other end of the hall, frozen in her step. She was the Lady of Veritas, the secret underground city of banished Hylians, cursed to forever be shadows. After her people were freed by Link’s hand, from both bondage and the curse, she boarded the ship with him, eager to see the world outside of the underground.

Ironic, how one prison was traded for another.

Mara rushed up to Link, her eyes as brilliant as the clearest of blue waters, the spitting image of her mother, and gave him a tight hug. Unsure how to react, Link stood there, motionless, looking to Cale and Reus for advice.

Cale turned away, keeping his amusement hidden within as best he could.

“We thought we lost you!” Mara pulled away and looked deep into her friend’s eyes. “Even after you awoke those two days ago, we still were not sure. It’s a miracle that the Chamberlain found you when he did.”

Link glanced around. Where was the Chamberlain? There were a multitude of questions waiting for that one.

“Oh, he had to go back to the spire.” Mara read the thought in his mind’s eye. “There’s lots of things that have happened, and are happening all the time. It seems we have rather...upset things.” She turned to Reus. “How is he?”

Reus smiled proudly. “Better, now that he has been able to stand before the orb. It has accepted him and has granted him strength. He is indeed pure of heart, as you said. He should be fine in no time at all. Perhaps only a day or two, and he will be able to travel.”

“Praise the Goddesses.” Mara closed her eyes, letting all of her anxiety go. “Come, you must be famished!” She grabbed his hand, giving him little choice in the matter.

“Easy there, my Lady.” Cale chuckled, slowing her down. “The boy’s been dead. Give him some space.”

Mara’s elation ebbed for a moment and she gave Cale a scowl, leading him to frown after realizing what he had said.

Stopping in his tracks, Link looked at the three in front of him, demanding answers. Mara and Cale looked to each other, neither having the heart to tell him, so they looked to Reus, a relative stranger, to break the news to the stupefied Link. The Zora solidified his demeanor, taking on the role of a detached doctor.

“Yes, it is true,” he said somberly. “You were indeed dead...for a time. If it were not for the quick actions of the Chamberlain, you would have surely been lost to us. Your body, the one you were birthed to, the one you fought with, bled with, loved with, is gone; destroyed. The Leviathan took your flesh as it’s own. You did not survive.”

Link looked to his hands, knowing his words to be true.

“The Chamberlain is heir to an artifact, one as ancient as his line, that saved you...well, saved your essence, actually. I know not how, as I have never seen such magic before, but within the device you were captured and sealed. Everything about you, from your memory to your blood, was saved. He brought it here, though how he found us is also a mystery to me, as he was reluctant to speak of it. Using the power of the orb, another body was formed for you. It was as if...it created you, knew you even. It was able to reconstruct your body and mind from that mere sampling of your spirit, and from that form you awoke. A miracle, by any standards.”

Reus shook his head in wonder. “You, my boy, are the first immortal being I have ever met. First you survive a millennia inside a blade, as your friends tell me, and then you surmount death itself, apparently time and time again. Quite a talent you have for survival, Link. My commendations to you.”

Link gripped a near rail, his knees a little shaky from the information given. He did not want to believe it, he wished that things were more simple, or perhaps more obscure. Was he really who he thought he was? Or was he just a mirage, a scant passing of his former self?

He grit his teeth. Was he just...a shadow of who he should be?

“Take whatever time you need, Link.” Reus walked off, his hands still clasped behind his back. “When you are ready to continue, seek me out. Until then, explore this place, learn of it’s secrets. Perhaps you will learn something I have not and we will be able to piece together why you are really here.”

Without another word, Reus moved down the hall and rounded the corner, passing out of sight.

Cale sighed. “I suppose this was the best way. I wanted to ease you into it, as did Mara, but...I fear we’re just not that good at keeping things secret.”

Mara smiled, hiding the pain she felt for her friend. “No...not good at all.”

Link forced a smile back, still shaken by what he had just learned, but at the same time comforted that there was now someone who cared. His thought drew back to his mother, running in the darkness from an armored foe, all alone in the world. That’s how things had been all his life. Alone, in the dark, being chased by something that he could never see or touch. All he could do was fight against it, and that was all he ever did. Most times he was alone, his skill against insurmountable might. But now, even in the strangest of places, he knew he had friends.

He knew he was not alone.

“Hungry?” Mara asked again, somewhat as a joke, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Link nodded, motioning for her to lead on.

You know, I just realized Cale makes a cameo in your novel. You really need to stop plagiarizing yourself. Anywho, great chapter. I would do a rubric but my head hurts like heck so... maybe later. That's very interesting, although we still don't know how the Chamberlain is alive. Hey, I managed to post without an unanswerable question this time! Yay me!

There are many things that lend to each endeavor, names and characters notwithstanding. That is just the way I write. There are reasonings for it, and I can assure you that laziness is not one of them.

Things change, evolve, and undoubtedly adapt. It is a slow and occasionally painful process, but one that continues on, regardless of the changing scales. It is the threads that bind, hidden ever so subtly, that truly speak of where you are, who you are, and where in the grand scheme you truly lay.

Now...I hope that made no sense whatsoever. But enough of my philosophical rhetoric; there are dark things afoot that I must attend to....

Okay, that post definitely did not help my head.
RUBRIC TIME!!!
This will be on the past eight chapters and the prologue. Firstly, let me find an example of a rubric here. Ok, so I couldn't find a good one, but...

Creativity(for a fanfic)- 5/5
This is about as far from the main Zelda plot as it gets. I like it.

Grammar- 5/5
You don't oft make a grammatical error, and when you do, I usually Grammar Nazi it. I mean, come on, look at post 7.

Interest- 5/5
With all those darn cliffhangers, how could it not be interesting.

TOTAL: 15/15
And it's not just because we're friends, either. It's because you write awesomely.

You know, looking back, your post begins to make sense. at least the first paragraph.

And speaking of Grammar Nazis, Xeno made a social group for them. I r is joined tehm.

After a full meal of oceanic variety, his internal organs stressing, as they had never been used before, Link took in all the stories that Cale and Mara had to tell. Of their coming, what they had been doing the past few days, and what they knew of the spire and the ocean Zoras.

It appeared to Link that he had been in a den of evil, or of perverted souls, with the orange Zoras being the demons. Cale retold the story that Reus had told him, of the coming of the Zoras to the oceans. They had fled Hyrule soon after the Imprisoning War, when Link’s shadow had taken control of the kingdom. With Zelda missing and a dark lord upon them, they chose to leave their frozen home, which had yet to thaw after decades, and headed for warmer waters. King Zora stayed behind, as a vanguard of Zora’s domain, but was never seen or heard from again.

The details of why the Zora had turned orange were still vague, as even Reus did not know. But it mattered not, for now it was easy to tell who was on which side...or so it seemed.

Link was unsure of how to interpret the tale. He had seen so much, and indeed the Zora of the spire were degenerates and hollow, but evil? He felt for them, pitied them even, for they seemed so sad, so empty of joy. He at first thought it was due to their children being missing, but now felt there was something else at work, something sinister and hidden.

Reus soon joined the conversation, having returned from his duties for a quick bite to eat. "So, Master Link, how does our fine conclave feel to your liking so far?"

Link nodded his approval, but could not hide his concern.

"Are you indeed ready for more answers, at least of the ones I can provide?" Reus said with a smile.

"I think we’d all love to hear them." Cale leaned back on his stone chair, gripping his hands behind his head. "We’re all in this together, we are, so we might as well figure out what we are going to do and how we are going to get home."

"I was thinking that as well," Mara said, her elbows upon the polished coral table. "I suppose we cannot just swim to the surface. Even then, we would need a ship to transport us to solid ground."

"There is no craft here the Zora posses that could help you there." Reus’ look was stern, as to be sure his point was taken seriously. "We can provide you with breathing masks to aid you while in the water, but a ship? We believe not in such things, as they have no use among us."

"Then we build," Cale quickly answered. "I’m no shipwright, mind you, but I’m sure I can figure it out."

Link remained quiet, his eyes ever fixed upon Reus.

"What say you, Link?" Cale asked of his friend. "Think we could build a ship and get us home within a week?"

Link was unmoved by Cale’s levity. Even if they could build a ship to transport them, they would not get far. That beast, the Leviathan, patrolled the ocean waters. He had not the nerve to risk it, after what had happened to him prior.

"You’re thinking of the great beast." Reus read right into his thoughts, seeing the pain of memory still fresh. "And you would be right; the waters are far too dangerous now. Either the Leviathan must be dealt with, or there would be no safe passage."

Mara folded her arms. "What is this monster, anyway? You speak of it as if it were the protector of the ocean, and yet you fear it like some ghost story."

Cale smiled at the irony of her words.

Mara shook her head at the woodsman and continued. "What is it? Guardian or aggressor?"

Reus tapped his fingers on the table in quick rolls. "The Leviathan is fabled to be the one that led the Zoras to these springs of life. Outside their influence, the ocean is dark, unkind, and full of violent creatures. Without the orbs, we surely would have perished before founding either of our colonies."

"Sounds like a predator to me," Cale said, thinking himself to have solved the puzzle. "There are some like that in the Creydo forests. They drive their prey into a narrow place, making them feel safe and secure, and then pounce. Strange and possibly cruel, but it works."

"The Leviathan does not hunt Zoras, good sir." Reus was somewhat offended by the statement, but refrained from speaking his mind openly, as these were strangers to his realm. "The Leviathan only takes that which is given, as in sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice, then he is not seen."

"Why would they ever sacrifice to him?" Mara was disturbed by the prospect of giving one of her own over to such a creature. "What could be gained by it?"

"Law," Reus answered plainly. "Law and order. If every Zora knew that if they did wrong they would be given to the beast, that would be more than enough deterrent from crime."

Link pursed his lips in thought. The Zoras he knew were wise, enlightened even, and he never did meet one with dark intentions in his, or her, heart. Sure, some could be misdirected while in their youth, but wisdom was in their blood. What could convince one to fall into such a life as to fear making the wrong choices? Was good and truth not innately a part of their being? Had they become weak?

"It’s cold," Mara said bluntly. "Such a cold way to treat one another. That is not justice; it is vengeance."

"Maybe." Reus was not so quick to agree with her. "But it is functional. I do not feel death a proper punishment for any crime, save the most heinous, but it is the way of their kind."

"So," Cale interjected, tired of the subject. "What’s the plan then? What are we to do? Are we trapped here?"

"For now," Reus answered. "You may remain here as a part of my house for as long as you desire, though I feel you will be leaving us soon. Your coming, and indeed our own, is a mystery indeed. I fear I have not the answers you seek, though find me should you have any other questions, and I will do my best to provide." Reus stood to his feet. "I must return to the care of the children. All doors are open, so feel at home."

Without another word, Reus bowed out of the room.

Cale leaned on the table, motioning for Link and Mara to come close. "Whad’ya think?" he said, keeping his voice low. "What should we do?"

"Bide our time." Mara was unsure of what route to choose, and was trying to break away from the habit of speeding through obstacles like an enraged Dodongo. "I am sure the answers will come if we let them."

"Link?" Cale probed his companion.

Looking to both his friends, knowing them to be weary already, Link shored up his will and stood to his feet. He knew that he would have to be the one to lead them to safety, as that was his calling. They looked to him every time trouble came, and every time he emerged victorious. He pondered if that luck would remain now that he was not who he used to be, literally, but was willing to try nonetheless.

"Off we go then?" Cale stood up as well. "Off on another whirlwind adventure?"

"But where?" Mara remained in her seat, skepticism upon her face. "And how?"

Link glanced over his left shoulder, the hilt of Evil’s Bane painfully absent.

"No." Cale knew Link’s intentions before he did. "I understand you miss it, and a fine blade it was, but it’s somewhere in that spire now, probably lost."

"Imagine it, Cale," Mara said with a cold stare. "Imagine you lost an arm or a foot. How would you cope? Would you strap on a wooden peg, hoping to give you some semblance of normalcy, or would you desire to have it restored?"

"Hmpf!" Cale leaned on the table, looking the Lady in the eye. "I wouldn’t have lost the limb in the first place!"

Mara stood up, shaking her head. "Woodsmen," she said, denoting his upbringing.

Seeing that inaction would only breed malcontent, Link left the table and proceeded out of the room, heading back toward the blue orb of life and the hall that was full of all those Zora children. He felt a dire urge to solve this mystery, to find whatever it was that lurked in the darkness beyond sight, and he knew that he would have better success if it was done quickly.

"See what you have done?" Mara chided Cale before leaving the room after Link.

Cale stood there, befuddled. "What did I do?" he said to himself, alone in the empty room.

Link wandered down the sparkling quartz halls until he came back to the main hall, the lower level bustling about with all the activity. Some of the children were playing games, others creating bubbles; acting as children without a given task should. Link passed through them, seemingly invisible among their frivolity, heading toward the blue orb. He felt a heat radiating from it, though not like that of a fire. It was hot, and yet it did not burn. It was bright, and yet it did not blind.

It was life, pouring out of it like water from a fountain, touching all within it’s reach with youth and vitality.

Link reached out to the orb, his hand passing through it with ease. It felt cool to the touch, despite the sensation of heat that came before it, and the texture was akin to a flowing mud.

Link retracted his hand at the feeling of a little hand pulling on his tunic. He looked down and saw an orange Zora-child, laden with curiosity. Link knelt down, as to be eye level with the youth.

"The light favors you," the child said, his voice curiously articulate, despite his apparent age. "More so than your friends."

Link glanced up and saw Mara coming toward him, with Cale in close pursuit.

"They will betray you before the end." The child gave a silly grin, as if the thought was amusing to him. "Both of them will bend their will against you."

Link stared at the child, disturbed at what he was hearing.

"Rettle!" The lone adult Zora in the mix, Reus, came into the hall, seeing Link was being accosted. "Come!"

Doing as told, the Zora grinned wide again and scurried over to Reus, who wrapped an arm around him and took him out of the room. He gave Link a furtive glance, knowing full well what had just transpired.

"Link?" Mara neared, seeing the concern laden into his face. She noticed Reus taking the child away. "Something wrong?"

Link shook his head, trying to keep his mind off of what the child had revealed to him. Hiding it behind the mask of the hero, he tucked it away, hoping to never hear of it again.

Ok, minor mistake up there-

"So," Cale interjected, tired of the subject. "What’s the plan then? What are we to do? Are we trapped here?"

"For now," Reus answered. "You may remain her as a part of my house for as long as you desire, though I feel you will be leaving us soon..."

I'm pretty sure you mean here, not her.
Otherwise, as always, great chapter. But those darn cliffhangers... always a plus.

Yes....maybe....

aw sweet, i loved the first evils bane and i havent read fan fic for a while, now i check back and theres this! I love it.